amayzing wonder woman

I cry the day I take the crib down

2012-01-17T18:13:00.001-07:00

Sept. 28, 2010

I took Miss Marvel's crib apart today. I couldn't help but wonder if it would be the last time I used that crib.

When I was pregnant with Miss Marvel, I was fairly sure she wouldn't be our last child. Superman and I were both pretty set on having four kids. Each child would have a playmate, and four's just a nice, round number.

But then things with health insurance changed.

It would now cost $7,000 for me to have another child. That's the deductible for the maternity plans available to us.

I've started to consider taking a page from C. Jane's home birthing book. It's definitely cheaper than the hospital...........

Anyway.

I had to take the crib down because Miss Marvel has figured out how to crawl out of it. She's been getting close for a month or so, crawling up the side and turning her light on and off. But last night she crawled out. Twice. And the mattress was already on the lowest setting.

So we pulled the mattress out of the crib and let her cry it out beside the door last night.

She's my first child to actually crawl out of the crib. Spiderman was forcibly removed from his crib by the arrival of the Hulk. He was about Miss Marvel's age, but hadn't yet honed his skills as an escape artist. And the Hulk was perfectly content to stay in the crib until he was 3 and we decided it was time for him to move up.

Over lunch today, Superman and I put up the spare twin bed we had, then I took the crib apart.

And I tried really hard not to cry.

Jan. 17, 2012

This is easier than getting up and retrieving my journal.

2012-01-16T00:53:00.001-07:00

And I like easy. I just do this from my phone at night. Helps me digest the day and clear my head for sleepy-time.

Today the boys didn't want to go to church. Superman and I had to a nice long talk with them about why we go to church. It included things like: it's where we learn about Jesus, it's where God wants us to be, and leaving them home alone for 3 hours would get DCFS called on us.

They went to church. They had fun.

Afterwards, The Hulk wanted to do a temple puzzle. He said, "I have an idea. For Sunday Fun, we can always do a temple puzzle, then have Ice Cream Sundays! I would love that so much that I wish EVERY day was Sunday!" Kind of a 180 from that morning.

Then Spiderman asked me to find Just Dance videos on Youtube for him to "exercise" to. He and the Hulk and even Lil Miss danced to five or six songs. (I need to video that.)

Each of the boys read for 25 minutes tonight. I missed most of the Golden Globes putting the kids to bed and am still reminding myself that I made the "good, better, BEST" choice. (Though perhaps the best choice would have been to record it.)

I'm reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for book club this week. I have never actually read the whole thing and am looking forward to finishing and discussing it with intelligent women.

Highlights

2012-01-13T23:20:00.000-07:00

Today:

Spiderman got 100% on his first spelling test.

The Hulk told me how Batman and Luke Skywalker play catch. Batman throws a Batarang and Luke catches it with the Force.

Miss Marvel sang part of the alphabet song and told a knock-knock joke. (I've got to get a video of these.)

Superman and I hung out with adults and laughed.

It was a good day.

Spiderman's prayer

2012-01-10T23:33:00.001-07:00

"Dear Heavenly Father,
Were thankful for today. We're thankful for our family. And our friends. And our renters. Please bless this food to make our bodies strong and healthy and smart. Heavenly Father, not everyone believes in you. But I believe in you. In Jesus' name, amen."

Twas the week before Christmas

2011-12-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

And I decided to write a Christmas letter.
I know. Weird.

'Twas two months before Christmas and all through the house,

Every creature was stirring, one almost small as a mouse.

The Legos transformed into ships from Star Wars,

And babies in strollers were pushed over floors.

The children were running all over the place,

With bits of chocolate or Go-gurt on each little face.

And Mom at the piano bench and Dad in his khaki,

Were quoting Princess Bride and acting quite wacky.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

We sprang to the door to see what was the matter.

Little Eric had fallen and broken his leg,

He was prescribed a cast, bones fragile as an egg.

2 months before he had broken his arm.

Each time, our trampoline the cause of the harm.

The culprit is gone now, sold for a nice bit of cash,

And hopefully no one else will end up in a cast.

While grandparents visited over the summer,

Mom and Dad went to Vegas, eyes filled with wonder.

The Lion King, Venetian, and Phantom were highlights,

Our quick three-day trip outshone even Twilight.

We returned to find Aubrey cute as a button,

She smiled and we melted right down to nothin'.

She loves babies and shoes and Elmo and dolls,

But as her first word indicates, she loves Daddy best of all.

Eric began kindergarten, finally able to ride the bus.

He's doing well -- most days he gets there without too much fuss.

He's reading and writing and counting each day,

Though all he'd do is play computer games if he could have his way.

He still enjoys Legos and building castles with blocks,

Helping with dinner, and cutting up every box.

Isaac entered a Chinese immersion program this year.

After struggling initially, he now knows there's nothing to fear.

Numbers, colors, and family members are just some of what he knows,

Not to mention writing characters and singing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

Like his brother, Isaac loves computer games and Legos,

Though he has also added a love for the piano.

Halloween, as always, was filled with parties and fun.

Our decor, among other things, made this the best one.

We Hosted a Murder with some really fun friends.

Alyssa tried to kill Levi, but got someone else in the end.

Then Alyssa took a break from teaching piano

And flew to Kansas with Aubrey in tow.

She went to see Alex before he headed to war,

Grateful for the chance to hug her brothers once more.

Levi played Mr. Mom exceptionally well,

Cleaning and organizing more than one can tell.

While he considered quitting his job to stay home,

Logic dictated that from Ipayables, he should not roam.

Now December's upon us, with all the busy-ness it brings,

Recitals, class parties, and taking on one too many things.

Alyssa found herself executing much of the ward party,

While Levi stayed home with the kids. Not fair. Not hardly.

We got a visit from the Jolly Old Elf,

A friend's Christmas party brought the Big Man Himself.

Isaac hopped up next to the bowl full of jelly,

Asking for Battleship, which he saw on the telly.

Santa told Eric he had broken his leg once, too.

Jumping out of a sleigh can be a dangerous thing to do!

Bionicles were the toys requested by this one.

Lego robots promise hours of fun.

Aubrey wasn't quite sure what to think of St. Nick.

She was ready to get down pretty quick.

Candy canes extended her visit a little,

But as soon as he let go, she was off like the down of a thistle.

2011 has been one to remember, indeed.

Broken bones, a growing girl, and Isaac learning Chinese.

From our family to yours, as the year flies from sight,

Happy Christmas to all!

And hold your loved ones tight!

A Christmas quiz

2011-12-16T13:58:00.001-07:00

Mostly because I wanted to blog but didn't know what to write about.

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate? I liked eggnog as a kid -- we always drank some while decorating the tree. But it is far too rich for me now. I LOVE hot chocolate, though. Hot chocolate slimfast is pretty tasty, too.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Always wrapped. There were a few times growing up that Santa brought really big things. Those were unwrapped and left those in our basement. They were saved for last.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White lights, all the way. Though we live near a mansion and all the trees are different colors: orange, red, green, blue, purple, silver, fuchsia..........I would LOVE a fuchsia tree outside.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? nope. Thought about it this year, but didn't do anything about it.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Right after Thanksgiving. Earlier this season, a FB friend said, "Every time a Christmas tree is lit before Christmas, an elf drowns a baby reindeer." I'm gonna have to agree. Holidays should be kept in order. (Unless you're leaving town for Thanksgiving. Then you can totally stay ahead of the game and put it up early.)

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Um, there's not really anything I make at Christmas that I don't make year round. Maybe soup? Homemade chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles. Mmm. Soul food, right there.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Meeting Santa at a gas station before we went to chop down our Christmas tree.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was 12 and my little brother showed me the candy that the "elves" gave us, hidden in my parent's closet.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, and it's always pajamas.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? This year, mostly alone. I did the lights, the bulbs, the glitter snowflakes, then my favorite ornaments. I let the kids place the rest the next morning.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it to look at and play in. Hate it for driving.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes, though it's been 10 years, so maybe no........

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Yes, I do. I wrote about getting a sleigh bell a few years ago.

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Teaching my children about Christ, giving, and being with family.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Mint M&Ms.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I haven't made many traditions with my own family yet. Every other year we travel back to Kansas/Missouri to be with our parents and it's hard to do the same things each year when that happens. I wanted to go caroling, but it's been bitterly cold here and I just can't make my kids go out in it if they don't have to. I want to have Christmas books that we read each night, or an advent calendar with scripture verses or........something. What are YOUR traditions? Can I borrow some of them?

17. What tops your tree? A golden star.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Since becoming a mother I have discovered the joy of getting your children something they REALLY want and the joy on their faces is all the gift I need. But I like receiving, too. :o)

19. Candy canes: yuck or yum? not really a fan.

20. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas, The Family Stone

21. Saddest Christmas song? I'm changing this question to "Worst Christmas song." Everyone knows the saddest one is Christmas Shoes. But worst might be "Last Christmas" or "Do you hear what I hear?" (Martina McBride's version is the only one I can tolerate.) Though to be fair, I have not heard any of Justin Beiber's Christmas album. I'd wager quite a bit of money that the worst Christmas song is on that CD.

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? I love The First Noel, O Holy Night, Carol of the Bells, Silver Bells........I love a LOT of Christmas songs. Basically anything on the piano. But as much as I love it, I don't listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. Holidays should be kept in order.

Feel free to play along!!!!!

Random Friday

2011-12-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

It's been so long since I've really blogged that I don't know where to begin. This is my 5tf attempt at an opening sentence. I think I'm just gonna dive in.

~~~~~~~

I realized today that generic brand frozen chicken just does not cut it for me. I cooked one Tyson brand frozen chicken breast and one generic brand breast in the crock pot today. The Tyson breast was perfect and tender. The other one was dry. I will now never go back. And it just s happens that Tyson chicken breasts are on sale in Smith's/Dillon's stores right now.

(No, this is not another review/product endorsement. Just passing along the info because I'm a good person like that.)

Speaking of Kroger stores: Have any of you seen/tried the Blueberry Pomegranate Chocolate Chunk flavor? I tastes like blue cotton candy and has big chunks of dark chocolate AND it's double-churned (aka less fat.) It's like eating bit of heaven.

And I wasn't even compensated for saying that. Again, just passing it along out of the goodness of my heart.

~~~~~~~

The battery on my camera has died. And I can't find the charger. I want to take pictures of my kids and Christmas decor but can't. And every time I try with my phone, it just looks bad. I don't have instagram -- do they have it for Androids? Maybe that would help.

~~~~~~~

I am a video game widow. Superman has been sucked into Oblivion. (Not Skyrim -- wanted to do Oblivion first and got a copy from a friend.)(If you followed that tangent, I award you 10 geek points.) He got the game just before Thanksgiving and has played nearly every night since. It's not too bad, though. I generally fall asleep while reading on the couch around 10, then he wakes me and we head to bed around midnight. I've been getting more sleep than usual because of it!

~~~~~~~

Want to know what I've been reading? (I know you do. I'll bet you're just DYING to know.) I'e been reading Harry Potter. Now, that may not seem like a particularly unique or new thing for a person to be doing. It is for me, though, because I have never read Harry Potter before.

I'll let you get past the shock.

I love to read. And I'm pretty much a sheep when it comes to anything pop-culture related. If everyone else is reading/watching something, I'll probably hop on that bandwagon. But Harry Potter came out just when I was finishing high school. Then I went to college in a bubble. Then I got married and had two kids and pretty much REMAINED in a bubble. It wasn't until #5 came out that I realized how popular they were. And even then, I didn't really understand the appeal. A series about a teenage wizard in England? No way could I relate or have anything to gain from that.

I'm eating my words now.

I'm loving the series. I have seen most of the movies and know the end-game, but I feel like that makes the series richer for me. I have clear pictures of the characters and their voices and Hogwart's and I'm just loving it. I, too, can't believe I didn't read them sooner.

I now spend my days ignoring household tasks while I read about Harry and gang while munching on snacks. (Did reading Harry Potter make anyone else want to eat all the time? They're always talking about sweets or the banquets or something!)

So. I'm going to get a bowl of Blueberry Pomegranate ice cream and find our who the Goblet of Fire chooses to compete in the Triwizard Tournament!

Just to prove that I do more than reviews...

2011-11-23T15:00:00.004-07:00

...I'm posting this.

I'm glad to be done with my Riverwoods reviews. It was a fun event. It was goodto see friends and eat yummy food and score some swag, but I am SO glad to be done with reviews. I've learned that I couldn't have the kind of blog where I only did reviews or plugs for businesses. I need my blog for ME.

I had this whole paragraph about all the things in my life that prevent me from blogging, but now those things are pulling at me and I don't have time to blog.

Since I know I won't be blogging tomorrow, I leave you with a short list of things I'm grateful for:

* My kids

* My wonderful husband

* Sitcoms

* Girlfriends

* Excedrin Migraine

*FB statuses that make me laugh:

Every time a Christmas tree is lit before Thanksgiving,

an Elf drowns a baby reindeer.

Holidays should be kept in order. (Just.saying.)

---courtesy The Shark

Blickenstaff's: Give the toys from YOUR childhood to your kids and grandkids

2011-11-22T20:56:00.008-07:00

Have you heard about Blickenstaff's in the Shops at Riverwoods? It is the coolest vintage toy store EVER.

Doesn't it look like a wonderland?

It is. It's a Utah toy store full of fun, hard-to-find vintage toys, games and candy. They've done all the legwork, collecting these items into this magical store. Walking in is like walking back into your childhood.

Check it out -- Lincoln Logs!!!

Blickenstaff's has a huge selection of vintage candy.

One wall of non-chocolate candy, one wall of chocolate. (Not pictured.)

Girl toys!!! So excited that Miss Marvel is getting old enough for dolls and all things pink.

MASSIVE selection of games.

While touring the Blickenstaff's with the group from CBC, I won a vintage lunch box. They had a large selection of comic book characters (which I was sorely tempted by) but I decided on this Star Wars vintage lunch box.

I also purchased a Slap Time watch for only ten dollars. TEN DOLLARS for a cute watch. It's pink, mostly waterproof, and I love it!!!! (My kids love it, too.)

Blickenstaff's is doing a really fun giveaway during the 12 days of Christmas. Find and "like" Blickenstaff's on Facebook to find out what toy they are giving away each day. On the first day of Christmas, they're giving away a toy to the 12th customer in the store. On the second day of Christmas, they're giving away TWO toys to the 12th and 24th customers in the store that day, and so on.

How good are you at math? That means on the 24th of December, they're giving away 12 toys, and the last one goes to the 144th customer that day!!!

But you don't have to live in Northern Utah to buy toys at Blickenstaffs. YOU CAN ORDER ONLINE!!!

Head to Blickenstaff's today!!!

All photos (but the last one) courtesy of Bryce Olsen Photography

(I was given a half pound of candy (which I ate all by myself) and a vintage lunchbox in exchange for my honest review.)

I like Ike's Ice Cream Shop -- they even wear retro hats!

2011-11-22T12:41:00.004-07:00

Want to know where the best ice cream in Utah is? It's at Ike's in the Riverwoods. They sell the best ice cream -- Blue Bell ice cream. I recommend the Strawberry Cheesecake flavor.

Don't you just LOVE the retro decor?! Red and white sparkly, bouncy seats. Chrome accents and a vintage Coke machine.

Check out the bar! It took great restraint on my part not to spin like a 4-year-old on those bar stools.

The ice cream was delicious. The atmosphere was authentic and immersing. Loved this little carousel. I'll be bringing my kids here soon!

Ike's is located in the Provo Beach Resort in the Shops at the Riverwoods. Have you guys heard about this place? I had heard about it previous to my going there, but I was still unprepared for the awesomeness of the place.

Not only can you buy the best ice cream there, you can catch a wave. Seriously. There is an indoor flowrider. (It's one of only 3 in the entire state.)

You can go SURFING. In the dead of winter. In UTAH. There's a ropes course. Bowling lanes. A golf simulator. A croquet course. (Did you love croquet as much as I did when I was a kid?)

An arcade. A pinewood derby track. A stage where they do plays and choirs perform.

The Provo Beach Resort would be a great place to go with your entire family. I'll definitely be taking my family there in January or February when we're all suffering from the winter blues, but of course you can go year round. The Shops at the Riverwoods are beautiful right now with all the Christmas lights.

Head to the Provo Beach Resort for fun for the whole family and the best ice cream in Utah!

All pretty pics courtesy of Bryce Olsen Photography. The un-pretty pics are mine.

Disclaimer: In exchange for my fair and honest review, I was given a sample of Blue Bell ice cream.

Zion's Mercantile -- like a museum

2011-11-21T21:52:00.008-07:00

When I went to the Shops at the Riverwoods, I stopped in Zion's Mercantile. It's a lovely little store full of gorgeous artwork, yummy bread and one-of-a-kind finds for an LDS bookstore.

Also: it's like a museum.

They have a replicas of the gun that Porter Rockwell carried. (Those things weighed a ton, BTW.)

They have an actual uniform worn by a soldier in the Nauvoo Legion.

There's a stone from the original Nauvoo, Illinois temple. (You'll have to actually go there to see it.)

While at Zion's Mercantile, Robert A. Boyd came to speak to us briefly. If you're like me, you may not recognize his name. But you'll probably recognize this:

Robert Boyd is most well-known for his temple artwork. (Click on that link Seriously. His work is incredible.) He told us that this piece is his favorite. I think it's stunning. And did you know that he has puzzles with various temples? They were just the right size and difficulty for my boys to put together. Fun Sunday activity! Zion's Mercantile has several of Boyd's pieces available, as well as work from various other artists.

If you're looking for a Mormon bookstore with goods reminiscent of Nauvoo, Illinois, then this is the place for you. (No pun intended. Ha. I'm so funny.) Look for them in the Shops at the Riverwoods in Provo!

(In exchange for my honest review, I was given small samples of Boyd's artwork)

La Jolla Groves aka Home of the Best Potatoes in the multi-verse

2011-11-18T09:33:00.012-07:00

I had the ultimate pleasure of dining at La Jolla Groves in the Shops at Riverwoods a few days ago. I went with other bloggers and we sampled several menu items. I'll be honest: I mostly went for the company, but came away thinking the food was far superior. (KIDDING, Melissa. You know I love you.) But that food was MIND-BLOWING.

The head chef at La Jolla Groves is one of the top 33 executive chefs IN THE WORLD. And he's got a restaurant in Provo, Utah. (Miracles happen, folks.) He's really nice and talked with us through part of our meal about his background. Apparently, he used to be all about the butter, as most chefs who want their food to taste good are. Then he hit 40 and realized that if he wanted to be AROUND to enjoy his family and food, he had better change his ways.

Enter the cuisine at La Jolla Groves.

Several succulent salads. Mouth-watering soups. (I'm still daydreaming about their Potato & garden-fresh Leek soup.) A salmon filet with cilanto butter, served over basmati rice -- one of my faves.

Artisan cheese, fresh fruit & hearth breads, served with a healthier fruit dipping sauce.

I LITERALLY could not get enough of the raspberries. I ate every one I could find without looking like a raspberry hog.

Lemon-roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies. The potatoes were to die for.

Everything I ate was delicious. Succulent. Sumptuous. Mouth-watering. FLAVORFUL. All of that and more. The restaurant uses fresh produce, locally-grown as much as possible. And you can tell from the taste. I was charmed by the atmosphere, too.

Don't even get me started on the desserts. Since most of the menu is full of healthy choices, you can splurge on dessert.

Berries and ice cream.

Lemon Cake with caramel glaze.

Chocolate Mousse.

This meal was a complimentary one, in exchange for my honest review. When I was there, I remember thinking that I'd better eat everything I could, because I could never afford to come back.

I was wrong, my friends.

I looked up their menu so that I would have the item descriptions correct. Their prices are comparable to The Olive Garden or Outback! Very inexpensive food for the quality of it. They even have a kids' menu!

Pair one of the best restuarants in Utah with the Shops at Riverwoods, and you have got an incredible evening. Especially if you can go tonight, Nov. 18, from 6-9 pm for the lighting of Riverwoods. Jon Schmidt will there. Blickenstaffs is giving away a really fun toy.

So consider La Jolla Groves and the Shops at Riverwoods as a sophisticated and more rewarding choice to the new Twilight movie tonight.

Oh, who am I kidding. You know I'll be seeing the movie. But I'm going tomorrow, so I can enjoy tonight at the Riverwoods.

(all photos courtesy Bryce Olsen Photography)

2011-10-11T17:20:00.004-06:00

I've got some extra time on my hands today. Both of my piano lessons cancelled for the day, and we're going to a friend's house for dinner so I don't have to cook. And Miss Marvel is even asleep. It would seem the universe wants me to blog today!

Too bad I haven't the faintest idea of what to talk about. (Is ending a sentence with a proposition still a no-no? If so, I'll do a Yoda-esque revision: My my, no idea what to write about I have.)

Hmm.

I finished doing the dishes a few minutes ago. Music is the only thing that gets me through the dishes, and as my phone was charging, I didn't turn on Pandora. I wish I would have. Currently, my favorite station is the Glee station. I love hearing the Beatles, Adele, Queen and Jason M'raz back to back. I am REALLY loving Adele lately. The soul and emotion she puts into each track is nearly palpable. If I had a working CD player, I'd buy her latest CD.

But I don't, so I won't. I don't even have an iTunes account. I considered getting one in honor of Steve Jobs' passing, but decided to save for an iMinivan instead.

Speaking of music, have you heard Lady Gaga's newest song? Be advised: I'm only linking for the truly curious and "mature" eyes out there. Honestly, I suggest opening the link to hear the song but skipping the video all together. I guess I am getting old, because "I just don't get music these days!"

The first time I heard the song, I couldn't figure out who the artist was. The song has a definite "country" feel. Was it Carrie Underwood? Did Shania Twain decide to make a come back? Why was this country song playing on my Top 40 station?

And who was singing about "my Utah kind of life?"

I was utterly puzzled. I listened to the whole thing, waiting to hear the title and artist at the end of the song. I was shocked beyond belief to hear that LADY GAGA was the artist. Seriously? Lady Gaga singing about a "Utah kind of life?" Call me crazy, but Utah doesn't really seem like Lady Gaga's kind of place.

I was so flabbergasted that I got on the computer and searched out the song. I of course went to YouTube to see the video. The video shocked me even more. My best guess is that she wanted to reference the creepiness of the Children of the Corn. The video is seriously demented. And it's completely ruined the song for me. I think I'd like the song if I didn't have images of Lady Gaga as a bionic, scissor-hands, bloody ankles, Frankenstein angel in my head. Not to mention the half-naked parts. Or the parts where she's a guy. Actually, the part with her as a guy is the least freaky.

Have you heard the song? Have you seen the video? Are you as disturbed by it as I am?

Well, my time is up.

What music are you listening to or loving or hating right now?

The one where I talk about losing weight

2011-09-28T14:19:00.001-06:00

First of all, take another look at the title. The word is "losing," not "loosing." I'm no word nerd, but it kinda drives me crazy when people talk about "loosing" weight. Really? What are you "loosing" it from? Was it literally attached to a rope around your neck and you loosened the rope? Just think of "The Biggest Loser." One "o," people. It's not "The Biggest Looser," where contestants compete to see which of them can make their belt the loosest. It's the opposite, in fact.

Just a point of note.

Now on to the REAL reason for the post: My recent weight loss. About a month ago, we got some Carnation Instant Breakfast mix for Superman to take to work. The day after we got them, I lost a crown. (Yay.) It was replaced within 48 hours, but I ended up drinking a lot of the instant breakfast drinks because I couldn't chew anything. I was surprised by how rich and creamy they were. I thought, "Well, if these are so good, I wonder about SlimFast?"

I remembered that Ashley had made brief mention of using SlimFast and losing a few pounds. I really didn't have much to lose -- 10 to 15 pounds. I have never "dieted" or even consciously tried to lose weight before. I'm no size 2, but I've always been fairly content with my looks. I mainly just wanted to fit into my jeans for winter without having a muffin top. For one reason, I like the clothes I have, and for another, I don't have money to spend on jeans!

So around Labor Day, I bought a canister of the SlimFast Milk Chocolate mix. I was surprised at how great it tasted. I was REALLY surprised at how filling it was. I have a shake for breakfast at 8 am and then don't get hungry again till 11:30 or noon!! It's incredible. Before, I was always hungry again by 9:30 or 10. Even when I'd eat Grape-Nuts with raisins, hunger would return within 2 hours. But not with SlimFast.

I have a shake for lunch, too, then a snack or two in the afternoon. An apple or banana, or a Fiber One 90-calorie bar. (I like the chocolate-peanut butter flavor.) Then I eat whatever I'm cooking my family for dinner. The "plan" calls for a "sensible, 500-calorie meal." I don't count calories for dinner. If I'm making chicken enchiladas for everyone, that's what I eat, too. Even pizza on Saturdays. Or pulled pork on Sundays. Superman and I like to share a bag of popcorn watching TV late at night, so I do that, too. I don't follow the plan strictly because I tend to chafe under tight restrictions.

But in one month, I've lost TEN POUNDS.

It feels GREAT!!!!

While I give SlimFast some credit for the weight loss, I also give credit to Zumba. I've been going to Zumba classes for nearly a year and LOVE IT. It's a blast. But because I'm a cheapskate, I paid for a membership to do Zumba regularly. I've been going to one free class each week. While I know that any exercise is good exercise, aerobic activity once a week just does not burn enough calories to make a difference in weight loss.

At the beginning of September, I entered a giveaway for a pass to a new Zumba studio close to home. I won a month-long pass!! This studio is great because they do morning and evening classes 6 days a week. So I started going as much as I could. I would say I've been doing Zumba 3-4 times a week for this month. A cold knocked me out for a few days, but I've tried really hard to make good use of my pass. And each Zumba class at the new studio kicks my trash!! "Latin Energy" is definitely a good name for the studio -- it is the highest intensity work out I've ever done!

So I've lost about 10 pounds. (I say "about" because my scale is cheap and exact weight are hard to see. But I'm down 5 tick marks, and each tick is 2 pounds. I think the math checks out.) To be honest, I don't see that much of a difference in my body. My mom told me to take measurements for a better comparison, and I wish I had. But I can't find my tape measure, so I don't have measurements. I am noticing clothes fitting differently, though.

I can button my jeans without holding my breath. I spent 30 minutes the other day just trying on clothes in my closet. They fit so much better than before. I feel like I have clothes I actually look GOOD in again! I still have a little more flab than I'd like, but nothing a good slimmer can't take care of. And really, after 3 pregnancies and massive amounts of stretch marks, I know that my skin can only get so tight. One more thing -- I have had significantly fewer pimples this month. That's one outcome I hadn't considered, but I LOVE it.

All in all, I give 1/3 of the credit to SlimFast, 1/3 to Zumba, and 1/3 to me for sticking with it. In the past, I've always had treats in the house. Jr. Mints in the freezer, Chip Ahoy in the pantry, etc. I've had some Veruca Salt-esque "I WANT IT NOW!!!!!" moments regarding that beloved creation from the cocao plant. But really, I haven't had experienced anything like that for this entire month. I think it's partly due to the fact that I've (essentially) been drinking thick, chocolate milk twice a day. That satisfies my chocolate craving. The Fiber One bars are great, too, and if I absolutely need something else, I grab a few semi-sweet chocolate chips.

When I go to the store, I don't even look twice at the candy aisle. I don't want to throw away all the work that I've done for the day! I don't NEED Jr. Mints! The other day my kids were begging for cookies for an after school snack. So I bought them oatmeal cookies. I don't like oatmeal cookies and therefore will not be tempted by them. Honestly, going to the store is empowering now.

Though I confess, last week when I ended up with all 3 kids at the store with me, I told them I'd buy them a candy bar if they'd JUST hold onto the cart and not run around like banshees. The bribe worked, and when we got to the checkout lane, they picked out candy bars. Gum was on sale, so we got a few packs of that, too. They each had a piece of gum on the way home and forgot about the candy bars. I put them in the fridge and forgot about them as well.

Two days later, I found them. And I absolutely could NOT resist the Snickers. I ate it mid afternoon, all the while thinking, This is SO not a good idea. I'm not really hungry. This isn't going to fill me up. What am I doing? After dinner, I pulled out the Peanut M&Ms while watching TV. And I kept thinking, What am I DOING? These don't even TASTE that great. I am going to be sick. But what did I do? I ate the whole package.

And I had a huge stomach ache afterward. I honestly thought I was going to be sick.

It was SSSSOOOOOOOO not worth it!!!!!!!!!

So. My plan from here is: Stick with the SlimFast. Once or twice a day, depending on how my clothes are fitting. I am hoping to get to 3 Zumba classes a week, though I'm not sure yet how that's going to work -- if I'm going to have to pony up the cash for it or not. I will NOT be buying sugar-junk. I know it won't be easy with the holidays coming, but Halloween candy has been out for a month and I have not succumbed yet. We'll see what happens when the Mint M&Ms hit in November.

But I love the way I feel. I am more confident, and am stronger. Most importantly, I've proved to myself that I can set a goal, work hard, and make it happen. And THAT feels the best of all.

Three for Thursday

2011-09-22T13:11:00.004-06:00

Three things I'm up to these days:
1. Slimfast-ing.
2. Zumba-ing.
3. Piano lesson teaching.

Three movies I've watched lately:
1. Crazy Stupid Love (5 out of 5) (I'd give it 6 if I could)
2. Captain America (4 out of 5)
3. Jane Eyre (3.5 out of 5)

Three of my favorite spices:
1. garlic
2. pepper
3. cumin

Three things I'm counting down "sleeps" for:
1. Our Host a Murder party.
2. Halloween.
3. My birthday.

Three things that get my blood boiling:
1. People not following through with what they say they will do.
2. The rising cost of EVERYTHING.
3. Not being able to change the fonts on my blog right now. I've tried for a couple of days and for some reason, that change isn't registering. I can't click "apply."

Three pictures:

Superman lost another bet. We started watching 24 a few weeks ago, and Superman just knew that one of the bad guys was going to kill a certain character by the end of the episode. I didn't think it would happen till a few episodes later. I was right, (AGAIN) and Superman did the dishes.

Miss Marvel loves shoes. No, she ADORES shoes. She wants to put some on as soon as she gets up in the morning, and changes then frequently. If she finds a pair of shoes around the house, she will take off her shoes and put the new pair on. Or she'll take the shoes to their owner and insist that THAT person puts them on. It's hilarious.

And one of all three kids. Spiderman has glasses, and The Hulk broke his arm. (Actually someone pushed him off the trampoline.) His cast is off now and all is well. Love these kids!

Feel free to join Evelyn and I in your own Three for Thursday post!

Is gambling really all that Wicked?

2011-09-19T22:22:00.002-06:00

Several weeks ago, some friends called us with a small problem. They had extra tickets to Wicked next summer that they were trying to sell. There had been some confusion on the dates and they ended up with tickets that they didn't need. Knowing my love of musicals and theater and all things even remotely associated with Kansas, they called us.

After telling Superman the price of the tickets, I went into begging mode. They weren't cheap, and the likelihood of us actually purchasing the tickets was small, but I had to give it my best shot.

"Please oh please oh PLEASE, Superman? We've never been to an actual MUSICAL before! And this is SUCH a great one! Please oh please oh PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE?!?!?!?"

"Well, A) that's a lot of money. And B), we have TOO been to a musical before," Superman responded,.

"Uh, no we haven't. I'm pretty sure I would remember that."

"Well, we have. Back in high school. We went to see Rags."

I was utterly confused. I was pretty sure I had never been to Rags. What was Superman TALKING about?

"Huh? I have absolutely NO recollection of us going to a musical when we were dating. And it's definitely something I would remember. There would be a scrapbook page with pictures of us going to 'The Theater' and ticket stubs and a program....."

"No, we definitely went. Tabbitha (my best friend) was there, ........ and I'm pretty sure you were there."

"See!" I pounced on that. "You know MY FRIEND was there, but you're only ASSUMING I was there, too."

Superman was starting to doubt himself at this point. "Well, I'm pretty sure it was you. Maybe it was Aniessa........she was really into all the culture stuff. ..... No, because it was after I graduated, and she and I had broken up by then. Are you SURE you don't remember? It was set in New York at the the turn of the century..........I'm just sureyou were there."

"Maybe we should call my mom," I offered. "She'll remember."

"Okay, but be prepared to be wrong," said my sweet, humble, unassuming husband. "In fact, I'll bet you the Wicked tickets that you went to Rags with me."

I was shocked. "So, if my mom agrees that you never took me to Rags, we'll get the tickets? You're THAT sure?"

"Yep. Call her."

So I did. And guess what?

I was right.

I WAS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Superman didn't take me to Rags. Even now, he doesn't remember who he took. I talked to my friend Tabbitha on Facebook and apparently, he didn't take her, either. She has no recollection of the show, either. So he seriously has no idea who went with him to the show.

But I know who's going to Wicked with him! ME!!!!! Summer 2012.

Duh. WINNING!!!!!!

It's autumn time, it's autumn time.........how does that song go again?

2011-09-15T22:36:00.000-06:00

Autumn. It's here. Here in all it's cardigan-loving, leaf-blowing, soup-boiling, crazy-scheduling glory.

My days are filled with getting kids ready each morning, making lunches, homework, carpooling, homework, teaching piano lessons, did I mention HOMEWORK? (it's a real pain). All midst the usual housekeeping, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, visiting teaching, book clubbing, zumba-ing, netflix-ing and friendshipping.

And I haven't even begun to volunteer at the boys' schools yet. Or entered October with it's Halloweeny goodness.

Needless to say, the blog has fallen to the background, once again. This seems to be a common theme in the bloggernacle, and I am not exempt. But I miss it. I miss giving my thoughts their proper voice, and recording the things I want to remember. I have been reading blogs as much as I ever was, thanks to my handy-dandy DROID (must be said in the robotic voice), but commenting sucketh on it. I'm looking into other avenues, but for now, if I want to comment on a post, I star it, then get to the computer whenever I can and actually comment.

At any rate, I hope I can get back in the habit. I want to tell you guys about how I've lost some weight. And how I won tickets to Wicked. And all the hilarious things my boys say. And how stinkin' cute Miss Marvel is. There's a lot for me to record.

But no time now. Not if I want to get to bed before 11:00. (I just decided that should be a goal of mine.) I'm hoping that by telling you what I want to write about, I'll have committed enough to come back and actually DO it.

So what have you been up to? Has autumn been as crazy for you?

Because Top Ten lists are fun.....

2011-08-25T12:11:00.000-06:00

I've decided to do a few more!

I now give you................

The Top Ten Things We SHOULD Have Done in Vegas!

1. Tournament of Kings at The Excaliber -- We planned to get tickets for it, but the show was sold out by the time we tried to get the tickets.

2. Cirque de Soliel Beatles LOVE -- The show was off the week we were there. Otherwise we would've shelled out the big bucks.

3. Gondola rides --At only $16/person, it's one of the cheaper activities and would've been a highlight.

4. Roller Coaster -- In New York, New York, there was a roller coaster. We just didn't have time.

5. Fremont Street -- The Fremont Street Experience was closed that week as well.

6. M&M factory -- I've heard it's fun and free and you get chocolate. We didn't know where it was until it was too late.

7. Circus Circus -- This is kind of far away from The Strip "proper" and didn't know where it was until we were leaving.

8. Treasure Island -- No time.

9. Mirage volcano -- It erupts on the hour after sunset. We weren't there at the right time either night.

10. Las Vegas Mob Experience -- This is only $30-$40/person, and again, we didn't know in time. (We thought we had everything planned out, but we were WRONG!) Apparently this is some kind of interactive show at the Tropicana where you're given an envelope with a "job." It's right up our "Host a Murder"-loving alley, but we didn't know about it till our last night.

So for those of you who mentioned using my last Top Ten as a guide, use this one, too.

And just for kicks, here are:

The Top Ten Things I Won't Miss about Las Vegas:

1. The smell. Cigarettes. Alcohol. Cigars. Sweat.

2. The taste (The smell is so potent you can actually taste it.)

3. Men trying to hand out flyers. At least they're not allowed to talk to you.

4. Feeling so utterly covered. I know that I live in a bubble. I'd like to think I'm aware of what that entails. But to go from 89 degrees in Happy Valley to 106 in Sin City was quite a shock. It was very weird to me to be the ONLY woman with sleeves and shorts to my knees. I wasn't prepared to feel so..........Amish.

5. 65-year-old cocktail waitresses. Sad, but true.

6. Pregnant cocktail waitresses. Even sadder, but still true.

7. $5 slurpees. Superman had a serious Slurpee craving while we were there and the cheapest we could find were $5 for a small. And it wasn't even that great. Luckily we found an Orange Julius 20 minutes later and got something better.

8. Wondering if a really hot girl and and not-so-hot guy are a real couple. You know what I'm talking about. Description of one "couple" we saw: Mid-50s man. Graying. Wearing slacks and a button-up shirt. Mid 20s woman. Smokin'. Wearing a bikini with a button up shirt over it. Nothing else.

9. My aching feet. The soles of my feet hurt oh-so-very badly. They still hurt, in fact, weeks later.

10. The heat. We've been pretty spoiled in Utah and it's only now reaching the upper 90s. Not so for the Las Vegas Desert.

So. You planning a trip to Vegas any time soon?

Vegas, Baby! (Said in my best Joey Tribbiani voice)

2011-08-20T09:21:00.001-06:00

While my parents were here visiting, Superman and I took a small vacation to Las Vegas. Our first ever vacation sans-children. We left on Monday morning and came home Wednesday evening. It was not nearly long enough to see everything we wanted to see, but it was a good amount of time for our kids and my (now exhausted) parents.

Rather than write an extensive travelogue, I decided to share my Top Ten lists for Vegas. So, without further ado, I give you:

THE TOP TEN THINGS WE DID IN VEGAS!!!

(image here)

10. The "Aquarium" at the Mirage

This one doesn't actually deserve a place in the Top Ten. I am only adding it for those who may think this is actually an "attraction." It's. NOT. It's a FISH TANK at the check-in counter at the Mirage. We walked all over that dumb hotel, looking for "The Aquarium." I was seriously disappointed when I realized how lame it was. I was more than disappointed. I was mad. This may or may not have been related to the fact that it was the end of day 2 and my feet and blisters were killing me, but it was a huge let-down. In any case, this is NOT attraction to go out of your way to see.

9. New York, New York

This was a fun hotel. I have never been to New York (it's on my bucket list) but this place looked like what I've seen on Sex and the City. Building smashed together, fire escapes, Irish pubs and hot dog stands. I was kinda disappointed that we didn't get run over by a taxi or mugged, but maybe that'll happen when we go to the real Big Apple.

8. The Forum Shops & Atlantis

The Forum was breathtaking. As an extension of the Venetian, there were painted ceilings and Roman architecture everywhere. This is the Fountain of the Gods and I just happen to be standing in front of Aphrodite.

In the Forum is the Atlantis aquarium. A small fountain and circular aquarium (this one actually earned the title) set the stage for the Atlantis show. It's about 10 minutes long and there are pyrotechnics and quasi-realistic robots. It was entertaining. My kids would have loved it.

7. Dal Toro

This was a fantastic Italian restaurant in the Palazzo. The most delicious lasagna I have ever tasted. Also, the best house salad. My only complaint was that we assumed the salad was part of the meal, since the waitress presented it as such. We didn't realize they were TEN DOLLAR salads. Now, it was good, but I'm not really a fan of paying ten dollars for something without meat or chocolate in it.

For the rest of the trip, we used it as an excuse to not spend more money. "If we hadn't spent $20 on salads, we could have ridden the roller coaster." "Man, I'd love to spend $26,000 and get the authentic Superman cape that Christopher Reeve wore in the movies. Too bad we got those salads...."

6. Bellagio botanical gardens

Inside the Bellagio is an exquisite garden and Atrium. The fountains were fantastic and it was just beautiful everywhere I looked.

This is the ceiling of the Bellagio's lobby. This picture doesn't do justice to artist Dale Chihuly's work.

5. Breakfast at Tiffany's

Yes. We ate breakfast at Tiffany's. We bought bagels and juice at Starbucks and walked to Tiffany's in the Forum. We played the song on my phone.......

It was epic.

4. Bellagio fountains

Lame picture, but awesome sight. The song playing during this particular show was Elton John's "Your Song." Superman and I love the Moulin Rouge version of the song (how many times can I say song?) and thought it fitting that "our song" played while we watched. I wish we would've had more time to stay and watch other shows, but we just didn't.

3. The Lion King

The Lion King was a fantastic show. The sheer creativity involved in the costumes and set design were astounding. We saw it our last night in Vegas and as good as it was, I wish we had seen in the first night. We were able to get discount tickets from "Tix 4 Tonight." If you're going to Vegas and want to go to shows, definitely hit up these places. They are all over the strip. You'll want to get there early to make sure your show isn't sold out. They saved us 30% off our Lion King tickets and 25% off at Dal Toro.

2. The Venetian/Palazzo

The painted ceiling in the Venetian's lobby.

We were dumb-struck at this sight.

Do you see the gondolier? It was almost like I was actually in Venice.

Then I crossed the bridge and the "almost" went away. I think I even felt myself start to sink. It was a beautiful and convincing sight.

The entire Palazzo was mind-blowing. From the hand-painted ceilings, to the fountains, to the statues, to the gondolas, walking through the Venetian was..........

magical.

And finally,

1. Phantom

When Superman told me we had tickets to "Phantom," I didn't think it was the real Phantom. I thought it was some Vegas version of the show where the Phantom was a Thunder from Down Under guy and Christine was a show-girl. It wasn't until I saw the sign at the ticket-office that I understand we were actually going to see PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Freaking out commenced immediately.

"Thank you thank you THANK YOU!!!!!!! This is going to be SOSOSOSOSO AWESOME!!!!!! You have no idea. OH MY GOSH. You have NO idea what to expect, do you, Superman? I mean, *I* don't really have an idea, but I have some idea. It's going to be incredible. OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH. We're going to see Phantom. We're going to see PHANTOM!!!!!!!!!"

The show did not disappoint.

There are simply no words for how extraordinary Phantom of the Opera was.

The music.

The effects.

The vocals.

It completely, one hundred percent, blew us away. We saw it our first night there and it set the bar so high, Lion King didn't stand a chance. And Lion King was a great show. But I wish we had seen it first, and Phantom last. It would have been the perfect ending, rather than the "aquarium" at the Mirage.

Stupid aquarium.

And a little child shall lead them

2011-08-18T21:12:00.000-06:00

The Hulk came upstairs earlier today.

"Mom, can I have some yoguht and gwapes, please? I aweady asked you."

"Oh! Yes, you can, babe. I forgot that I said I'd get you some. I'm sorry," I felt bad for having forgotten my promise.

"It's okay. I forgive you," my son easily replied with a hug.

As I walked into the kitchen to get The Hulk's snack, he followed me in.

"Mom, did you know that I already forgave you? Even before you said sowwy?"

"Hulk, that's so great. Who taught you to forgive so fast?"

"I don't know. I sink it was in my heart."

~~forgive the indulgence. just something I wanted to remember.~~

Spiderman, Spiderman. Does whatever a six-year-old can.

2011-07-22T08:36:00.004-06:00

This boy.

He's growing up.

He has his first loose tooth.

He told his father the other day, "You don't know what I'm feeling!" in regards to wanting to play video games. (His father responded that actually, he knew exactly what it felt like to be a little boy who wanted to play video games.)

He's getting more defiant.

But he's also learning important things about life.

This morning, the first thing he did was ask if I could help him with his workbook. He wanted to play on the (now password-secured) computer but knew he needed to do his chores first. I told him that I would love to help him.

We sat down for breakfast and he began working as he was eating. Consequently, he was a little bit slower to finish his cereal. The Hulk finished before him, and stated that he had been first. (Everything's a competition with those boys. I have a feeling it's a phase they will never grown out of.) Spiderman, who is nearly always the winner, started to get upset that he wasn't in 'first place.'

"Spiderman," I said, "you made a good choice. You chose to do your work book so it took you a little longer to finish your cereal and that's okay. Because now you have TWO things done!"

He perked up a bit at that.

A few minutes later, he said, "I like making good choices."

My heart melted a bit, and I told him I was glad he liked making good choices.

"Because it makes Heavenly Father happy."

My heart melted even further. I asked him, "Do you know who else it makes happy?"

He shook his head, not knowing the answer.

I pointed to his chest.

"Me? Oh, yeah! Good choices make ME happy, too!"

Slowly but surely, he's getting it.

Do you know what I just LOVE?

2011-07-21T23:38:00.000-06:00

A bowl of cereal spilt on my freshly mopped floor.

Kids asking the same question over and over and OVER again when you've already given them an answer.

Little itty bitty spiders. IN MY HOUSE.

Going to bed exhausted, only to be unable to fall asleep until after midnight.

Then having a child wake at 4 am.

Mutant mosquitoes who give my kids bites that swell and pus.

When someone kills a bug, then just leaves it there.

Being so engrossed by a book, I can't stop thinking about it, but being too busy to read it except in the bathroom.

Migraines. Yeah. LOVE migraines.

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

You may have surmised that I'm being sarcastic. You are very clever. But for those of you unable to pick up on the sarcasm and think I'm bitter, here are a few things I sincerely love:

My boys talking about 'aminals.' And asking me to build Lego castles with them.

Miss Marvel *finally* saying 'mama.'

And being completely irresistible.

Superman bringing home a case of DPP from his work for me.

Blogging from my phone.

So what are YOU loving lately?

Three for Thursday

2011-07-14T21:36:00.003-06:00

Three excuses:

1. He started it! (I HATE this one. I honestly, truly, do NOT care who started it.)

2. I was on my super-cool new smart phone.

3. The price of beef is going up. So is the price of milk, and chicken, and cereal, and chocolate.....

Three favorite children’s books:

1. The Piggy in the Puddle by James Marshall.

2. The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Sciezka

3. You are Special by Max Lucado

Three decorating styles I like:

1. NieNie's. {vintage}

2. Calico's. {simple, eclectic}

3. My own. {traditional, contemporary}

Three things I do differently than my mother: (Hi, Mom!)

1. My children play video games (though I'm pretty sure my mom had it right).

2. I blog.

3. My mother was surprised by the gender of each of her children, and I always thought I wanted that, but I don't.

Three things I’m waiting for:

1. A minivan.

2. Big Bang Theory 5 days a week on the CW in the fall.

3. The discovery of a rich, nearly-dead distant relative with a special fondness for witty/sarcastic young mothers.

Three things I want to be when I grow up:

1. A finisher

2. Organized

3. The kind of woman my daughter wants to be.

Three things I do because they’re good for me and NOT because I like doing them:

1. The dishes

2. Stick to a cash-only diet. (I should say TRY to stick to it. I really do try.)

3. Keep the cable turned off.

Three things I appreciate about my middle child:

1. The sparkle in his eye.

2. His most adorable metathesis's. Flosted Fakes, gollos (girls) (also probably not a metathesis but still cute) and I can't think of any more. At five he has lost most of his cute speech idiosyncrasies.

3. His sense of humor. The kid is genuinely funny.

Three truths about me:

1. I felt like a huge mom failure today. (Post for another day.)

2. I stay up way too late.

3. I need friends. Not saying I need more. Just that I, in general, need friends. I need other women.

Three pictures:

Miss Marvel edition

Just Monster being Monster.

I realized today that I never posted pictures of Lil' Miss' room. It's not as cute as I want it to be, but it is what it is. Her crib was under the window until she started messing with the blinds instead of going to sleep.

A better view of the shelves. This entire wall is book shelves. I hope to paint them white one day. Especially that lovely wood paneling behind the shelves. I'd like to paint the paneling and walls a pale pink.

So there you have it, posted last minute on a Thursday, as per usual.

On being vertically challenged

2011-07-12T17:20:00.004-06:00

Did you know that I am short?

I think that most of the people reading this charming little blog have met me in real life and know that I am barely five feet tall. It's always a bit interesting meeting people who have known me only through blogging because they generally seemed a bit surprised by my lack of stature. I try to wear heels to most events, but if I ever have to take them off, I can count on hearing more than one comment about my "petiteness."

Since I have always been short, it is something I am simply accustomed to. It's not at all strange to me that I have to hop onto the counter top to reach anything above the second shelf in my cabinets. When I went to the store with my children in baby carriers, I couldn't put them in the front seat of the basket because I wouldn't have been able to see over it.

I am admittedly not a great housekeeper, and only dust when I see the dust accumulating, like on the end tables and piano. But every now and then when I go about dusting ALL my furniture, I am shocked at how much there is! But I don't SEE all the dust on top of my mantle, or the top of my book case. Out of sight, out of mind. I just forget that it's in everyone ELSE'S sight.

We went a few weeks ago to a small amusement park to drive go-karts with the boys. When I asked how old kids had to be to ride by themselves, the employee simply pointed to a red line on the wall, saying that they had to be that tall.

The line was at my eye level.

I'm used to always looking up to people when I talk to them. I always need to have the seat pulled all the way forward when I drive a car.

But even then, sometimes it's not enough.

Do you remember last week when I mentioned our Explorer breaking? Even then, I had a feeling it may have broken because I am short. That feeling proved to be correct. The mechanic told us, "It's like someone just stepped on the gas pedal at the wrong angle and it popped off. All we did was reconnect it."

That's right. I broke the gas pedal by stepping on it wrong. Because I'm too short. I could only touch the very bottom of the pedal, and that wasn't enough. (To be sure, the fact that it's a 1993 Exploder had something to do with it, but STILL. If my legs were 3 inches longer, it wouldn't have happened.)

For the record, we were charged $40 for the tow and another $5 for labor. Our total was $48.73. We love you, Mc Auto Repair!

So while I'm glad that the repair was relatively inexpensive, I'm still a bit angry that my lack of height is the reason that our car broke.

I find the whole thing embarrassing and amusing, and I am now going to Google medical procedure for lengthening legs.

Three for Thursday

2011-07-07T11:45:00.009-06:00

Thanks, Evelyn, for bringing back my favorite meme!

~~Three confessions:

1. We sleep with the A/C blowing, a ceiling fan going AND a desk fan on, just so that I can continue to sleep with my heaven-made Vellux blanket. Energy-wasting, much?

2. I am a closet-nerd.

3. I am still struggling with teaching the youth in Sunday School.

~~Three things I do to beat the heat:

1. Head to Seven Peaks

2. Hit up Sonic's Happy Hour for a Rt. 44 Diet Dr. Pepper

3. Run in the sprinklers with the kids.

~~Three lessons, skills, or new tricks I have learned this past month:

1. I learned how to clean out my central vacuum filter. Lots and lots of dog hair.

2. Always wear sunscreen.

3. Even if you've got 500 lbs. of rice and beans in food storage, you can't eat them unless you have a way to cook them. (Application: we need a propane stove for our food storage. Or a fire pit.)

~~Three things that motivate me to be a better person:

1. Spiderman

2. The Hulk

3. Miss Marvel

~~Three things I would do if I wasn’t “Mommy”, married, and burdened with cares:

1. Shop. Till I DROP. Then pick myself up and keep shopping.

2. Travel Europe.

3. Finish my degree.

~~Three people I call first:

1. Superman

2. My Mom

3. Kelli (BFF/SIL)

~~Three things I changed about my parenting after testing them out on my guinea pig child (first child):

1. No more cups of milk in bed.

2. Preschool is no longer optional. It is a must.

3. Some things that DID work for Spiderman didn't work for The Hulk. I learned that every child is completely different. (A novel concept. I know.)

~~Three things that make me cry:

1. Patriotic songs. (The last verse of The Star-Spangled Banner really got to me on Sunday.)

2. Tender mercies. Story: Remember how I broke our car last Saturday? We towed it to our favorite auto repair shop and found it would cost less than $50 (including the tow!) to fix.

3. Youtube videos. Story: I was bored on the internet a few nights ago and ended up reading Post Secret Archives. Bad idea. After 10 minutes of reading about people hating their fathers, wishing they were dead and not believing in God, I was really depressed. So I went to Ellen's Youtube channel for a laugh. I laughed so hard at this video that I cried. Seriously -- how can a man not figure out jumping jacks?!

~~Three things I’m going to accomplish before the summer is over:

Sheesh. Evelyn, I am not a list maker. I don't have goals for the summer. Summer is for fun!! But if I have to come up with something......

1. Take a real vacation with Superman. Our first ever sans kids.

2. Get my garden weed free.

3. Finish the dishes, laundry and mopping so that I never have to do them again.

~~Three pictures:

Spiderman has made a new bedroom for himself in the closet in our family room. He's got his pillow and blanket and has been sleeping there each night since Sunday. He's got his backpack, robe, toys and an alarm clock in there, as well. Kids are so funny.

This is a picture of a picture. (Or a picture of a scrapbook page, to be more accurate.) This was The Hulk's first time doing fireworks and I practically get giddy over the expression on his face. He had essentially the same expression this last week when we lit sparklers and it made me remember this picture.

I walked past Miss Marvel's room yesterday and found her sitting in the glider, reading books. One of the cutest things ever. I hope to instill a love of reading in this girl.

That's it for this week's Three for Thursday! Feel free to join in and/or link up to Evelyn at Hanging by a Silver Lining!!!!

A Tragedy of Errors or A Comedy of Errors?

2011-07-02T22:26:00.005-06:00

Today started out pretty great.

I woke up on my own around 8:15. Yes, that's right, I woke up ON MY OWN. Not one of my kids was up before me, asking for breakfast or yelping for a diaper change. It's a glorious thing to be able to wake up completely of your own accord.

Superman and I made a breakfast of pancakes, bacon and eggs for our family. It was delicious. I taught a piano lesson, then did the dishes and cut Superman's hair. After Miss Marvel napped and everyone ate lunch, we went shopping for a new cell phone carrier (tips, anyone?) then to a small "Colonial Days" event in our town.

As we came home and I pulled into the driveway, I stepped on the gas pedal for one last push into the garage. Now, I'm short, so I can really only reach the bottom part of the pedal. When I tapped it with my toe, it's like the pedal just gave out. Like I snapped it off. The pedal is still attached to whatever it is that it's attached to in the engine, but it's just lying against the floorboard.

Not. Good. I'm glad it happened as I was pulling into the garage instead of on the road, but it's still NOT GOOD.

We all piled into the house, and Superman and I sat around for about 20 minutes, trying to figure out what we were going to do about the car. Eventually, we decided to just cook dinner and worry about the Explorer (a.k.a Exploder) when shops opened up again.

I bought some ears of corn and a box of hamburger patties for this weekend, so Superman started up the grill. We put the corn on the grill first. Then we got out the hamburger patties and found that all FORTY of them were FROZEN TOGETHER. Bits of wax paper separated the patties, but they were all still frozen together. (This may or may not be related to the fact that it took me over an hour to get home and put in them in the freezer after buying them. Whoops.)

Superman tried to let them thaw next to the grill, but it wasn't really working. We broke a small stack off and put it in a baggie and under hot water, but that was also inefficient. We finally saw a note on the side of the box about thawing them in the microwave, and ended up doing that.

When we finally had meat ready to BBQ, we realized that the grill was out of propane. {Sigh.} Not a big deal, I told myself. I pulled out our George Foreman grill and proceeded to set it up in the kitchen.

At some point during all this, I realized that the hamburger buns were frozen. I pulled the package out of the freezer and put them in the sun to thaw. I thought that it had worked, until I pulled out buns for the kids. Partially thawed, but still partially frozen. I remember telling Superman, "I will NOT cry." I pulled out the toaster and warmed the buns.

When it came time for my burger, I wanted to make sure that my bun wasn't cold at all. So I upped the time on the toast a bit. After popping the buns in, I started getting drinks for everyone and chips and all the other stuff that comes with feeding kids dinner. About 2 minutes later I remembered my bun. It was still in the toaster, and STILL TOASTING. It was BLACK.

At that point, I actually screamed. "AAAAAUGH!" Then I took a deep breath, threw the bun away, and put another one in the toaster. This time I stayed by the toaster and waited for it to be done.

As I prepared my buns with mustard and ketchup (which I accidentally put on the top of the bun instead of the bottom) (which I HATE) I said, "This burger had better be good."

Luckily, it was. I washed it down with a Diet Dr. Pepper. I hadn't planned on that -- in fact, I had a pitcher of pink lemonade sitting on the table. But the stress of a supposedly simple meal had really gotten to me.

The burger was good, DDP was refreshing, and Cool Ranch Doritos are never a bad choice. I was beginning to think that I could just close my eyes and everything would go away.

Then Miss Marvel climbed on to the table and knocked over the pitcher of pink lemonade.

It was a laugh or cry moment. I knew I had a choice to make.

I started laughing as I mopped up the mess. Once I started laughing I couldn't stop. Superman looked at me like I was a certifiable loon.

Marjorie Pay Hinckley's said, "The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache."

I have a testimony of that statement.

Laughing is SO much better than crying.

Three for Thursday

2011-06-30T22:42:00.003-06:00

Three wedding day memories:

1. I forgot Superman's ring in the hotel room. I used my dad's ring when we exchanged rings, then gave Superman his real ring outside the temple. The ring I got him -- Joseph Smith's Eternity ring -- was a surprise, so we were able to capture the moment on film and it was kinda fun.

2. Superman crying during the ceremony.

3. Pulling up to the hotel and realizing I was vastly under-prepared for what was going to happen.

Three guy movies I actually like:

1. The Bourne trilogy (really, I like anything with Matt Damon)

2. The Dark Knight

3. Lord of the Rings trilogy

Three things that I will try to sneak into heaven:

1. Cadbury mini eggs

2. a DVR

3. My Vellux blanket. I'm pretty sure it was made in heaven, but in case it wasn't and there aren't any there, I want mine.

Three 4th of July traditions:

1. A parade!!!!!!!! I don't know why, but I honestly get misty-eyed when I hear the marching bands. And I wasn't even in band. I seriously don't know why I get so nostalgic. And don't even get me STARTED on the bag pipes. Whooo, Nelly.

2. Fireworks. Ideally I love to be at a show of some kind with huge fireworks and patriotic songs playing in the background. But if not, at least having sparklers and smaller fireworks for the kids.

3. A BBQ. Since we don't have any family in the area,we either make our own family each year or find a way to get invited to someone else's BBQ.

Three words that describe me:

1. Blue

2. Yellow.

3. Libra.

Three favorite summer time desserts:

1. Creamies -- chocolate ones, to be precise

2. Snow cones. Tiger's blood.

3. Watermelon.

Three fictional characters I would like to meet in real life:

1. Sheldon Cooper.

2. Mr. Schuster.

3. Christian from Moulin Rouge.

Three group games that I could play over and over and over again:

1. Curses. Who's played that game? I can't even explain it, but it is HILARIOUS!!!!

2. Hoopla. (Version of Cranium where every competes against the timer.)

3. Scum.

Three favorite summer time TV shows:

1. The Bachelorette, even though Ashley's an idiot.

2. So You Think You Can Dance.

3. Umm..........I think that's it. Now that I don't have a DVR, I can only watch what's actually on TV and it's a lot of reruns. I've seen some of Master Chef and America's Got Talent, but not enough to consider myself a faithful viewer.

Three pictures:

The boys have been pretty good about doing their workbooks each day. Chore charts and allowances are still working.

Miss Marvel is at that delightful stage where she needs a bath after every. single. meal.

A friend made some red velvet cake pops that Lil' Miss couldn't get enough of. And, yes, she took a bath directly after this.

Thanks, Evelyn, for coming back this week so I could link up!!

Things that I think are stupid

2011-06-29T09:01:00.000-06:00

1. This gender-neutral preschool in Sweden. I think that they will find that no matter how hard they try, little boys will want to play with cars and little girls will want to play with dolls.

2. Bentley (from the Bachelorette.) I want to punch him in the face. And I kinda want to punch Ashley for falling for him and making him such a huge, annoying part of this season. I also want to punch the producers. A roast? A boxing match? You really thought those were good ideas?

3. Having 6 pimples on my chin at one time.

Seriously. Not exaggerating that number. You'd think that by 27 I'd have my skin figured out.

4. Our home not having a duct system for heating a cooling. We have radiant heat in the sheet rock, installed 35 years ago. Horribly inefficient and expensive. And we have a couple window A/C units we just hooked up. I really like this house, but the lack of central air is one thing I won't mind leaving behind in a few years.

5. Not having a DVR. I know that I'm much more productive now, but I really really REALLY miss all my shows.

6. Dog breath. No further explanation needed.

This kid is a keen one

2011-06-27T22:55:00.007-06:00

Tonight I said something to my son that I regret. I hope that I have fixed it, and it won't have a lasting impression, but I can't be sure.

A week ago in church, The Hulk learned about Alma the Younger. Our conversation about his lesson went about like this:

Wonder Woman: Who is Alma the Younger?

Hulk: He's from the Book of Mormon. He was a bad guy, but then he was good.

WW: How did he become a good guy?

H: An angel came and told him to stop being bad.

WW: Then what happened?

H: Then he was good and a missionary. With Ammon! (Hulk loves the story of Ammon. What LDS boy doesn't?)

So tonight, The Hulk came to the dinner table with a red string wrapped around his head, Book of Mormon style. He told me he was like Alma with the red headband.

I said, "I'll bet you are like Alma." Superman chimed in, saying the same thing. We were both thinking about this sweet boy who loves to push buttons and oft-times takes prodding to do the right thing. Yes, I'll bet that Alma the Younger needed a bit of 'prodding' as a child.

(This picture captures The Hulk's personality perfectly.)

But then The Hulk said, "Because I'm bad?"

Zing.

That kid saw right through us and hit the nail on the head.

We quickly tried to smooth over what we had said.

"No, because you're good. Alma repented and turned good, right? And you do that, too."

"Yeah, sometimes I'm good. But when I'm bad I'm like Alma when he was bad."

I was still trying to find a way to turn the conversation around, so I went with what we could do in the future.

"Hulk, if sometimes you are being bad, should I remind you about Alma?"

"Yeah! And when I'm being good, you can say that I'm being like Alma, too! When he was good!"

"Yes. I will definitely say that when you are being good."

Superman and I have made conscious efforts to catch our children being good, and commenting on their strengths. But it's kind of ended up that Spiderman is the "good" one, and The Hulk is the "smart" one. And while both of those things are great in their own right, I'm worried that we have unintentionally labeled each child as one thing and not as the other.

Since Spiderman has started reading and writing in kindergarten, we have pointed out how smart he much more often. But we haven't had the same frequency of opportunities to catch The Hulk being good.

So now that's my goal -- to point out when BOTH of my children are being good and making the right choices. I'm also going to tear off any labels that I have unintentionally given them.

Slowly, but surely, I'm getting the hang of this parenting thing.

Make it blue!

2011-06-24T09:00:00.015-06:00

Instead of writing about last night's sleeplessness and the raging beast of a mother it has transformed me into, I am going to post pics that I should've posted months ago and pretend that I am really REALLY happy to be awake right now.

When we moved into this house last August, we painted a lot. Every single wall in the house was white. We went with a creamy yellow in living room -- this was my inspiration:

Bright and cheery.

But this is what I ended up with:

Nice, but since Superman only wanted black and white in the room, it ended up looking very stark. Not enough contrast between the cream couch and chairs and pale wall.. I attempted to change that with the red pillows, but Superman wasn't a fan of them and though it was too much color.

So after 6 months of growing dissatisfaction, I picked a new color and hoped for the best.

I think it turned out quite nicely.

(The view from the entry way. Sorry there's some glare.)

The blue/gray gives the room a much more serene feeling -- exactly what I wanted.

(View from the back corner, where the piano used to be and bookshelf currently is.)

The black and white elements really pop now, instead of the couch blending into the wall and black furniture giving too stark a contrast. The couch kind of has a patriotic feel. I like it.

We rearranged the furniture, too. Originally we thought the piano would be perfect in the far corner, nestled between the windows. It ended up just eating the space and not being the focal point Superman wanted it to be. We moved it to the corner that is immediately visible as you walk in, and it give the impression Superman has always wanted it too. I found the white armchair on KSL.com (a non-creepy Craigslist) for $25. Now we have enough seating in the room to actually entertain in there.

I am much happier with this color than I was the yellow. I love sitting in my chair and reading, and often go into the living room just to sit and take a deep breath. It's a very calming room stays fairly clean now that we have our basement back. When the kids are running crazy and I feel like I'm about to lose it, this is my time out room.

Hmm. Maybe I should go spend a few minutes in there now to try to tame the emerging Mommy Beast. I need to get her under control before we head to Seven Peaks this afternoon. Disaster is imminent if Mommy Beast goes to the water park.

So. . . . . . .yeah. I'm headed up to my time out room for a while. Peace.

Happiness is.....

2011-06-22T14:41:00.005-06:00

A trampoline.

Spiderman doing a flip. Gotta love the sprinkler under the tramp!

Playing with friends on the trampoline.

Yes, I let Miss Marvel on the trampoline with her brothers. They know not to jump. I love seeing this out the kitchen window.

They usually just spin until they all fall down. It's adorable.

And one last picture of Miss Marvel, enjoying a popsicle. She would argue that THIS is what happiness is!

I argue that happiness is being able to FINALLY post pictures!!!!! Between losing the camera cord, losing the camera, the battery being dead, being unable to find the charger, and the basement flooding, I haven't posted pictures since like January. It's been ridiculous! So I'm quite happy to be able to post pics of my kidlets.

Things I've learned over the past month

2011-06-14T10:32:00.005-06:00

1. Nothing is ever as easy as it looks on HGTV.

2. Press-on tiles are a beast to cut.

3. Don't try to put up sheetrock yourself, even if you're with someone who supposedly knows what they're doing. Just call a professional.

4. Move EVERYTHING out of the room when said professional sands the sheetrock and mud. Otherwise, a fine layer of dust will cover every.thing.

5. Rooms with white furniture were not meant to be living rooms for young children. My white furniture is no longer white.

6. Being without the internet makes me a little sad, but awfully productive.

7. Superman and I love Mad About You. We found a channel playing reruns 4 nights a week and we love laughing at Paul and Jamie. And seeing all the similarities to our own marriage.

8. Superman likes my hair voluminous and curly/wavy more than straight. (I hypothesize that it's because it looks more like Jamie Buchman's.)

9. Miss Marvel can CLIMB. Like, I'm contemplating changing her blog name to Spidergirl because she pulls herself up onto everything now. Chairs, table, book shelves......she pulls with her little arms and lifts her feet as high as she can. My Sunday School students were marveling at how she was pulling herself onto the table in our classroom the other day.

10. Legos will never ever go out of style. My boys love them as much as I did as a kid. Also, we need a lego table.

11. Family rooms are AWESOME. I didn't realize how much we used ours until it was gone. It is SOOO good to have it back.

12. I missed blogging. I've got a lot to catch up on.

Vegas, Baby!!

2011-06-12T21:55:00.002-06:00

Superman and I are contemplating a couples getaway to Vegas. As always, we're looking for the cheapest way to do it. We've found cheap hotel rates, but we're a bit up in the air for entertainment.

Ideally, I'd love to see the Cirque De Soleil LOVE show. We may end up splurging on that, but what else could we do (that's not drinking or gambling)? I've only been to Vegas once, and I was 10. I don't remember much, but I'm sure there's tons of stuff to do.

So, great void, help a sister out.

What can you do in Vegas that doesn't cost too much?

Confessions of am Eternal Optimist

2011-06-03T13:27:00.004-06:00

I really am a silver linings kind of gal.

Some examples:

I have a bit of sunscreen in my eye right now. My first thought? "At least it's warm enough to be WEARING sunscreen! So glad I got to be outside today!"

And a few days ago when it wasn't sunny and I started to complain about rain on Memorial Day, I realized that with cooler weather, our electric bill was going to be really low. We have yet to turn on the A/C this year.

We are sheet rocking the basement today and I will be losing the computer in the process. That just means that I will accomplish a lot more without the internet to distract me.

The other day my SIL/BFF sent me a text: "My son licked the car window, then drew eyes on it. But it doesn't look like eyes, if you know what I mean! I'm driving around with boobs on my window!"

My response: "Well, at least he didn't add a nose and make it man parts!"

I can see silver linings almost anywhere. Sink full of dishes? At least we ate food yesterday. Living cramped with extra furniture? At least it didn't flood in here, too. Pimples signaling that time of the month? I'm grateful to still be able to have babies. Have to spend hours each Saturday mowing, pulling weeds, trimming trees? We've got a great yard that the kids can play in and I'm thankful for it.

I'm not entirely sure where this undying optimism came from. I know it's a little unusual. Sometimes I worry that people feel like I'm minimizing their problems.

--I don't have time to artfully wrap up this post, as my husband's friend is here to help with the sheetrock. But I going to post it anyway so that I have something other than memes up for the next while. Ciao.

Three for Thursday

2011-06-02T09:43:00.000-06:00

1. Three of my favorite Pandora.com stations
-Matchbox 20
- Journey
- Pink
(Superman and I have created our own)

2. Three lessons learned since I have graduated from high school
- You will never have more money.
- It's possible to survive on Ramen noodles and cereal.
- Life doesn't get easier. But it does get better.

3. Three people I was remembering on Memorial Day
- The Hulk (since it was his birthday)
- My Grandpa
- My brother, who just graduated from BASIC training

4. Three bad habits
- procrastination
- passive aggressiveness
- eating when I'm bored

5. Three foods I will NEVER put in my mouth
- sushi
- frog legs
- liverl

6. Three things that sounded like a good idea at the time
- turning on the sprinklers
- using hair color from the clearance shelf
- buying a home in August of 2007

7. Three plans for Father’s Day 2011
- Let Superman sleep in as long as possible
- cook him his favorite dinner
- Keep the kids out of the bedroom so Superman can take a super-long nap after church.

8. Three things that make me a “mean mom” (aka a GOOD mom)
- I do not cook/make more than one thing for dinner.
- Enforce the doing of chores before the playing of games
- Make my kids go to bed.

9. Three things I'm supposed to do today:
- Find carpet pad
- Find a carpet installer
- Teach piano lessons
- Zumba
- unhook the computer so Superman and a friend can begin repairing the basement
- cook dinner
- upload 247 pictures so the grandparents can see recent pics of Miss Marvel

Oh, wait. That's more than 3. I had better get off the computer and start working on that list!

Check out Evelyn's Three for Thursday list!!!!! Feel free to link up!

Three for Thursday

2011-05-26T10:31:00.000-06:00

1. Three favorite words
- Bazinga
- Yes, Mom

2. Three things that won’t be allowed in heaven
- dishes
- farts
- negative thoughts

3. Three crafty things I do
- scrapbook
- decorating
- make my budget work. Takes some pretty crafty skills.

4. Three things I swore I would NEVER do when I became a parent, but now find myself doing
(I don't really have anything I swore I would never do, but I am surprised at the following things)
- Letting my kids play video games
- Living so far away from my family
- Laughing at my child saying I'm the worst mom ever

5. Three favorite quotes
- "It's the character that's the strongest that God gives the most challenges to. Now you can take that as a compliment," Return to Me

“Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other,” Marvin J. Ashton

"We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day," Richard G. Scott

6. Three names I would never dream of giving my children
- Delilah
- Jezebel
- Beelzebub

7. Three things I plan to do for Memorial Day weekend
- celebrate the Hulk's birthday
- make potato salad
- pray for good weather

8. Three blogs I love to visit
- Peace and Pandemonium
- NieNie
- Untypically Jia

9. Three things that make my husband/partner the luckiest man alive
- I try to let him nap or sleep in every Sunday
- In an attempt to have common interests, I have become a nerd/geek. (If they've done it on Big Bang Theory, you can pretty much bet that I've done it, too.)
- Wonder Woman isn't just my blog name. I'll leave it at that.

10. In lieu of 3 pictures, (since I can't upload them on Superman's work laptop) I will share 3 thoughts on this weeks' TV.
- I wanted Kirstie (but mostly Maks) to win DWTS. He has never won and I think he deserves it.

- I love that an all-girl team, and sisters at that, were the finalists on The Biggest Loser. For the most part, the contestants looks amazing. I was SHOCKED to see Sarah and Deni! I was disappointed that Rulon wasn't there.

- Scotty freakin' McCreery won American Idol. A month ago in one of these posts I mentioned that the idea of him winning made me want to sit in a corner rocking back and forth. I DID NOT THINK THE BOY WOULD ACTUALLY WIN. To be fair, I haven't watched the shows since Paul McDonald left, but Scotty was not the most talented singer. I wish that they would change the voting procedure so I felt like 10 votes would make a difference.

Tuesday Confessional

2011-05-24T14:42:00.003-06:00

I am highly unproductive on rainy days.

The last week has held rain 8 days out of 9.

The first few days weren't too bad. I enjoyed the rain, made lists and was fairly productive.

But by Friday, I was sick of it. Sick of being cooped up in the house. On Friday, I did NOTHING. No dishes. No laundry. No real cleaning. Not even any fake cleaning. I read a book, caught up on some finales, and.......that's about it.

I went through 2 bags of Hershey Kisses in 6 days, sitting in my chair, reading my book.

(That may or may not be related to fact that I'm on my "comma" right now.)

Need more proof? This morning when the sun peeked out, I opened the windows, vacuumed, mopped and polished my wood floors. When the sun hid this afternoon, I played Lego Star Wars with the Hulk.

So I confess: I am a follower of Apollo. I worship the sun.

Three for Thursday

2011-05-19T12:14:00.000-06:00

Once again, I'm linkin' with Evelyn.

1. Three home improvement projects

~ I'm just going to count "repairing my basement from the flood" as one project.
~ I want to paint my fireplace
~ We need to redo our bathroom. The vanity is atrocious. Pink "marble" countertops.......{shudder}

2. Three favorite songs

~ Lucky by Jason M'raz and Colbie Calliat
~ Amazing by Bruno Mars
~ Far Away by Nickleback

3. Three dreadful things I’m really not looking forward to in the near future

~ finding out the cost for the basement
~ putting on a bathing suit
~ Judgment Day (huh?)

4. Three most surprising things about giving birth for the first time

~ how wretched a nurse could be
~ how much I'd appreciate the presence of my mom and mother-in-law
~ how effective Demerol is

5. Three easy recipes

~ Chicken and rice: shredded chicken breast, cream of chicken, garlic and pepper, served over rice
~ Pasta salad: trio italiano pasta, tomatoes, cucumbers, sliced string cheese, cut pepperonis
~ Chicken crescent rolls: Cooked chicken breast, shredded into large chunks. Roll chunks into crescents, bake. Serve with potatoes and gravy.

6. Three really totally awesome things I did today that make me a Super Mom/Super Woman (aka WONDER WOMAN)

~ Scrapbooked, old-school style. Till midnight. Oh yeah.
~ Volunteered at Spiderman's school.
~ Figured out how to get cable upstairs. (It involved a power drill and SUCCESS!)

7. Three things I never leave home without

~ phone
~ lipstick
~ earrings

8. Three favorite movies pre-1970

~ Sound of Music
~ Sleeping Beauty
~ White Christmas
(They made movies without music back then? What?)

9. Three best skills

~ piano
~ compassion
~ being optimistic (is that a skill?)

10. Three awkward happenings on the honeymoon

~ I was on my period.
~ We were in Nauvoo, Illinois.
~ I was on my period. Yeeaaahhhh.

Feel free to join in!!!!!!

Not-so-Great Expectations

2011-05-18T13:13:00.003-06:00

You know, there's a lot to be said for low expectations.

If you have low expectations of movie, you're less likely to be let down by it, and therefore more likely to like it.

If you have low expectations on Mother's Day, you won't be disappointed by not getting a nap, or having to cook dinner. (Or changing diapers, or doing those blasted dishes.)

If you have low expectations of your monthly budget, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the extra $20 at the end of the month.

Superman is a big fan of the lowered expectations. (Anyone remember those segments from Mad TV? HILARIOUS.) It has preserved many a movie for him. And days at work. And snowy Saturdays in spring.

I have adopted the low expectations mentality and will confess that I am probably happier for it. I am rarely disappointed now, which can't be a bad thing.

But I'm realizing there's a problem with continual low expectations.

THINGS DON'T GET BETTER.

Without realizing it, my lack of expectations has affected my parenting techniques. I didn't expect The Hulk to be completely potty-trained by four, and he wasn't. Now he is almost five and we've been over a month without an "accident." That's great, but it's a milestone he should have reached long ago.

I didn't expect Spiderman to calm himself down when he got worked up, and he doesn't. He still has tantrums and frequently breaks into tears.

I didn't expect my boys to make their own beds and clean their own room. So guess what. They didn't. (To be fair, in case my children read this one day or their grandmothers jump down my throat, they are doing those things, now that they are on a chore chart and getting an allowance.)

I didn't expect Miss Marvel to be able to point to body parts when I ask, and so she doesn't. Though it's very common for babies her age to be able to do it.

You catchin' what I'm throwin' here?

I need to have higher expectations for my children. To 'raise the bar,' as it were.

My boys are old enough to maintain control of their bodies -- namely, their emotions and their bowels. And if they don't, the consequences need to be enforced more consistently.

I need to be more aware of what is "normal" and "expected," so that I can keep my children on track. I have been so concerned with not comparing them to other children that I have let them slide in areas that they shouldn't have.

Low expectations have affected my wifery skills as well. If I don't expect to accomplish a lot during the day, I don't. If I don't expect Superman to be amazed by the polished floors and lack of laundry piles, I may or may not tackle those chores.

So I'm thinking that I need to raise my expectations for the things I CAN control (parenting style, homemaking skills) while maintaining low expectations for the things I can't (how much the basement flood is going to cost us, the weather). I'm not saying I can control my children's behavior, but I can expect them to do better and make them aware of my expectations. And it's not realistic to expect to be able to dust, mop, fold 8 loads of laundry, and keep the kitchen clean all while keeping the children happy and not in front of the TV. But I can expect to be able to tackle one or two major chores each day and still have time for my children and whatever may pop up.

So now my bathroom mirror has Pres. Scott's quote with a few things written around it.
"Play." "Teach."
"Enforce consequences."
"Raise expectations."

I'm expecting life to get a little better.

Roll up your pants. We've got high water.

2011-05-14T08:39:00.004-06:00

Around 6:00 last night, Superman turned on the spigot on the side of our house. He set a sprinkler up to water a dry patch in our yard. Then he came in and we ate dinner.

30 minutes later, he went downstairs, then yelled for me to turn off the water.

Apparently, the spigot leaked in our house -- the ceiling in the basement.

When he went down stairs, water was pour out the LIGHT FIXTURE and soaking everything.

We moved everything out, sopped up the little bit we could before the towels were drenched, and borrowed some wet vacs.

We have called our insurance company and Service Master, who is coming this morning.

Our computer may or may not be lost. (I'm using Superman's work laptop right now.)

We hope to be able to pull up the carpet and pad, let them dry, then just reinstall them.

Our biggest concern is the ceiling and the leak itself.

Plus, we missed the Smallville series finale! And did I mention that Miss Marvel is teething again? Complete with fever, diarrhea, fussiness and neediness?

Luckily, we have great neighbors who watched our kids, helped up move stuff, and tracked down wet vacs.

Luckily, we caught it early. The water had just started to rise above the carpet. I wouldn't even say there was a real accumulation. When I stepped close to the walls, water would come above
my toes, but that's about it.

I'm doing okay with it all. If I think too much about how much this could cost (along with our $2500 deductible) I get a little panicked, but I just try not think about it.

Worrying about something over which you have no control is, in essence, a lack of faith.

So I am choosing faith. This will all work out just fine.

I think. Hope.

p.s. Happy Friday the friggin' thirteenth.

In a nutshell

2011-05-09T16:25:00.006-06:00

My mother's day:

Opened the present I bought myself: a watch with interchangeable bands. (I planned ahead and did it right this year.) Got several "Happy Mudder's Day!" from the boys.

We made it to church ON TIME!

I didn't really get to pay attention to the talks because I HAVE CHILDREN, but I think they were nice. Thought: Maybe the reason I never feel guilty on Mother's Day is because I have yet to really hear any of the talks.

I taught a lesson that went well enough, given my lame attempt at preparation. (If I could use the term "half-@&$*%" here, I would. I wish there was a good equivalent.)

Came home, fixed and ate lunch, watched a movie (translated: cat-napped) with the boys.

Finished a book and ate a truffle (gift from church.) The Hulk wanted a bite, so I told him that for me to share my present with him, he had to give me another present: picking up the dirty laundry in his bedroom. He happily did it, and I happily shared a bite. Then I taught him to let the chocolate sit in his mouth, without chewing, to let it melt.

I tried to take an actual nap, but after an hour gave up on the idea. Apparently the cat-napping I had done previously eradicated any need for sleep I'd had. Plus, Miss Marvel was not happy.

Came out of my bedroom to see Spiderman and the Hulk trying to do the dishes!!!! Completely un-prompted! There was water everywhere and only 5 dishes in each tray, but they were trying!

5 minutes later, they gave up, saying it was too hard and they wanted to play Halloween. We dressed in costumes, and the kids went door to door in our house, "trick-or-treating."

Superman made a delicious dinner, followed by ice cream (for Ice Cream Sunday.)

I let the boys stay up a little later than normal, and even read them part of a comic book for their bedtime story. (Saturday was Free Comic Book day. Don't act surprised that I know that bit of information.)

After tucking them in, they asked me to lay down with them. (Shock, right?) I told them if they could lay quietly for 10 minutes, I would come in.

They of course couldn't do that, so a few minutes later, I told them that I couldn't come in. Sorry. (Look at me, enforcing consequences! BOO-yah!)

As I was closing the door, Spiderman said, "You're the worst mom ever!" Then he began to sing "WORST DAY EVER!!!!!!!" to the tune of Spongebob Squarepants' "Best Day Ever."

I couldn't help but laugh.

I love being a mom.

Trying a little harder to be a little better

2011-05-04T23:07:00.001-06:00

I have a quote on my bathroom mirror.

"We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day." (Elder Richard G. Scott, October 2010 General Conference)

I see it every time I step out of the shower and I think, "I want to become a better mother. So today I will be a better mother." But my thought process doesn't really go beyond that. I start thinking about applying moisturizer, how much time I have before Miss Marvel wakes up, whether or not my pants will fit, and the like.

But a few days ago, I believed I received a bit of inspiration as I took an extra moment to ponder how to become a better mother.

Two specific things came to mind. 1) Enforce consequences. 2) Play with my children.

So last night when Spiderman began to get worked up over some small thing, I told him that if he was going to cry, he had to do it in his room. Its a precedent that was set long ago, but one I'm not great at enforcing. Telling him to go to his room of course made him cry harder, but I just picked him up and put him in his room. He was quiet within a minute or two and we were able to discuss the problem in a calm manner.

And today, I sat down with Miss Marvel and read books for a good 20 minutes. She loved it, and I loved it. This afternoon, I took the kids to the park and played with them.

I think when it comes to consequences, I have been too focused on making my kids happy, rather than making sure they were obedient. (As Superman and I discussed this, he pointed out that obedience leads to happiness. Wise one, that man.) Often when Spiderman starts to get worked up over something, I will remind him to take a deep breath and often calmly talk him through whatever his problem is. If he's already worked up and crying, I will still try to help him calm down. I don't 'let' him yell at me, but I don't usually send him to his room if he does because I want to help him calm down.

When the boys are going to bed for the night and ask me to lay down with them, I acquiesce to their requests about 1/3 of the time. I enjoy talking to them a bit at the end of the day, and I know they enjoy it, too. Also, it means that they are more likely go stay in bed and not play if they've had a few minutes with me in the same room. But this has set a precedent that's not easy to ignore. Now, they beg for me every night. And because I can't go in every night, they have nights where they stay up too late, playing, waiting for me to come in.

I have always been very clear about giving consequences that I am okay with enforcing, and making sure my children are aware of the consequences. This also means that the consequences maybe aren't as harsh as they could (and should) be, because I don't necessarily want (or have the energy) to enforce them.

And I want my kids to be happy. I'm not saying that I let them do what they want to all the time, but I do think that they have not been told "no" enough. Incidentally, that is something else I've made a point of doing. Instead of saying 'no,' I often say 'Not now,' or 'Yes, but only after...' and I'm starting to think this philosophy has backfired on me. Now when they hear 'no,' they are outraged and start to bargain. Then I start to wonder if it's really THAT big of a deal, and if I should back down. But I know I can't back down because then they'll think they can bargain on everything. But then life gets MISERABLE because they whine! And I want them happy, and me happy, and........

I usually resort to bargaining with them.

What's ironic about this is that as much as I have been concerned with my children being happy, when it comes to down time, I'm usually making sure that *I* am happy. I play my needs above theirs. I turn to media (of any and all sorts) instead of taking the time to play with my children. The weather is finally taking a turn for the better and I need to take advantage of it with my children. I need to jump on the trampoline, give underdogs on the swings, play peek-a-boo, ride bikes, blow bubbles........I need to PLAY. I need to build relationships with my children so that when I DO have to enforce the consequences, love is there to back it up.

I'm readjusting.

So now, each day, I tell myself that I have to actively play at least once with each of my children. I am also enforcing consequences more often. I am more aware of the times that I need to do it and do my best to follow through.

What about you? How do you deal with enforcing consequences? What are your favorite ways to play with your children? Have you had to readjusting your parenting philosophy lately?

Three for Thursday

2011-04-28T22:26:00.006-06:00

Why?
1. Because Evelyn started it.
2. I want to blog and this the easiest thing to do right now.
3. I like easy. (See previous post.)

Three things I plan to do today: (tomorrow) (since I'm writing this at 10:30)
1. Go grocery shopping
2. Go to the chiropractor (I always need to after Zumba)
3. Catch up on the end of The Office and other shows I may have missed. (I teared up a bit at Michael's departure. And SERIOUSLY? Casey left? I HATE THE VOTING ON IDOL!!!!)

Three things I am worried about:
1. Miss Marvel's goopy eyes. (Her eyes aren't pink, but have been goopy for about a week.)
2. Umm......Honestly, I'm not a worrier. My children would probably be better off if I were, but I'm not.
3. I guess I'm worried that I'm not worried about enough.

Three things I love...besides chocolate, my kids, and Superman:
1. Watching episodes of "Big Bang Theory"
2. Zumba
3. Miss Marvel's pigtails

Three blogs (among the many) that I love to visit:
1. Pensievity
2. Regarding Annie
3. Because I really can't get enough of myself

Three things I picked up off the floor today:
1. Soggy Corn Chex
2. Dirty socks
3. Dog food

Three things I like about myself:
1. I'm a silver lining, glass -half-full kind of gal
2. My hair
3. I'm a good friend

Three things I learned this last year:
1. It's possible to get spend too much time with a person.
2. Baby girls are special.
3. Don't assume ANYTHING when it comes to buying a house.

Three things I love about New Town, Utah:
1. Proximity to Walmart (also hate this because I'm there all the time)
2. Proximity to Superman's workplace. It's honestly a 3.5 minute drive.
3. My neighborhood is absolutely incredible.

Three things that make me to want to sit in a corner rocking back and forth:
1. Mice. Rodents of any kind, really.
2. The thought of the Hulk have potty "incidents" in kindergarten.
3. The thought of Scotty McCreery winning American Idol.

Three things I miss:
1. My family
2. Cadbury mini-eggs
3. My waist circa 2003

Three confessions:
1. Sometimes, I wish I could swear.
2. I'm jealous of someone and I HATE that I am jealous of them.
3. I ate way, way, WAY too much chocolate this Easter season.

Three movies I could watch again and again:
1. You've Got Mail
2. Return to Me
3. The Notebook

Three final thoughts:
1. I won tickets to our local MiLB team's game for next week! I was on the radio! I WON SOMETHING ON THE RADIO!!! "Duh! WINNING!"
2. Bazinga.
3. If you want to do a Three for Thursday too, leave a comment below with your link and I will gladly come read it. Hey! You could even get wild and do Four for Friday! Or Six for Saturday! Or a Million for...well, let's not get too carried away now. (That was Evelyn's last thought. I left it because, hey, it works for me, too.)

Beginning is easier than finishing. And I like easy.

2011-04-18T11:58:00.006-06:00

I've started 5 different posts within the last few days. I just don't have the time/attention span to finish them.

I've got one about me turning a dog bite into an excuse for a new purse. (I wasn't the one who was bitten, and my dog didn't do the biting, but it was traumatizing enough to warrant a new purse.)

There's another about Miss Marvel and all her milestones. (Reaching the 1st percentile in weight, climbing up the slide, wearing pigtails and being so cute I'M GONNA DIE!)

There's one about the minor league baseball game we went to as a family. (Fun was had by all.)

I've got another about the multiple parties I've hosted this week and the frantic hours I spent cleaning. (One of the parties was a surprise party and it was great. The other was to sell books and not a single person showed up. But at least my house is clean!)

There's yet another about The Big Bang Theory. (The show. Not the actual theory.) (Superman and I LOVE LOVE that show. We've been watching past seasons and are filled with joy. Bazinga!)

The final post sitting in my draft folder is one cataloging all the funny things The Hulk has said lately. ("If my food was broken, I would put Ranch on it. Do you know why? 'Cuz Ranch fixes everything.")

But rather than finish any of those posts, I am going to go finish cleaning my house. The bedrooms are atrocious. The boys' room is so bad I had to actually crack a window to get the smell of dirty socks and bodily functions out. My SIL, her 3 kids, and my in-laws are coming to stay for a few days. My SIL is a bit of neat-freak, so it's a good chance for me to get the house sparkling. (Yes, I find humor in the fact that I'm more nervous for my SIL to see my house than my MIL.)

So, I'm off to tackle the bedrooms. Maybe when I get bored halfway through I'll come back and finish those other posts.

But probably not.

Thankful Thursday

2011-04-14T17:09:00.005-06:00

Today I'm thankful for:

* Dandelion bouquets
* Pigtails in Miss Marvel's hair
* My crock pot
* The know-how to fix Spiderman's bike
* Beautiful (if a bit blustery) weather
* Hulu
* Zumba
* Little boys saying "I love you" in Chinese at random moments
* A good husband who sacrifices so that I can be home with our children
* Silence

What are you thankful for?

Questions for the void

2011-04-01T15:52:00.004-06:00

If I'm going to have the skin of a 15-year-old, is it too much to ask for the body of one, too? I don't enjoy looking like I've had the chicken pox when it was really just hormones or stress or too much chocolate. (Ironically, the first two lead to the other.)

Seriously. I trimmed my bangs to cover my entire forehead instead of being swoopy because it was THAT. BAD.

Why does February only have 28 days? 7 months with 31 days, 4 with 30, and 1 with 28. Doesn't make sense to me. It also sucks for bi-monthly paychecks. You wouldn't think it would matter that much, but the extra 4 days totally sucked my pantry and refrigerator dry.

Why does teething give babies diarrhea?

Why did Glee get so bad this season? Why didn't they just stick with what everyone loved?

WHY DOES THE HULK STILL HAVE POTTY "ACCIDENTS?" He is almost 5 and still would rather mess his pants that stop watching TV or playing outside. And it is making me crazy. I remove video/computer game priviledges. I've taken away toys. Candy. I've flicked water in his face. I've swatted his bottom. What more should I do? WHY ISN'T HE POTTY-TRAINED??!??

Who decides when Easter is? The moon? The Pope? The International Calendar Committee? Why can't we just commit to the second Sunday in April? I don't like that it's so late this year. Means Easter candy is out for a LONG time.

Do they put heroin in Cadbury mini eggs? I've checked the label and I don't see it listed as an ingredient, but I'm pretty sure it's in there. The things are dangerously addictive.

What kind of person goes to a movie not knowing a lick about it? I guess I don't need the void to answer that question. I know the answer: THIS KIND. (I'm pointing to myself.) Superman and I went to "Sucker Punch" on a friend's recommendation. (The friend babysat for free so we could go and we're not going to turn that kind of offer down. ) All I'll say is that I feel like I actually was sucker punched after seeing the movie. I think I'm going to talk about it more at Blog The Day Away.

And my last question: When are botanists going to come up with a money tree? 'Cuz I would like to buy one.

He's gonna make some girl very happy in about 20 years

2011-03-22T10:48:00.000-06:00

We have recently begun giving our boys an allowance. They have a few chores to do each day and that gives them the opportunity to earn and save money. I pull the money straight from my wallet, so they know that the money doesn't magically appear, much to my displeasure.

A few days ago, I purchased a birthday present for one of the boys' friends. Spiderman thought it was pretty cool and wanted one for himself. I told him that it cost $13 dollars and he could definitely save his money if he wanted one.

He did NOT like that idea. At all. He started crying, saying that he didn't want to save his money -- he wanted it RIGHT NOW.

I tried to turn the tantrum into a teaching moment. I told my son that *I* would like a new purse. I don't need a new purse, but I would like one, and so I'm saving my money. We related that to Spiderman not really needing a new toy, but having the option to save for one.

He calmed down and decided that he would continue to save his money till he had enough for the Bionicle.

A few hours later, the boys were going to bed and I was headed out to run some errands. Just as I was walking out the door, I heard Spiderman crying. I went to see what was wrong. Honestly, I was a little angry. He was supposed to be in bed and was obviously stalling by crying needlessly.

I very shortly asked him what was wrong.

"I (sniff, sniff) want you (sniff, sniff) to have my money (sniff, sniff) so you can buy (sniff, sniff) what you want."

My heart melted like an ice cream come in Phoenix.

I gave my boy the biggest hug ever and told him that while his offer was incredibly sweet, he didn't need to give me his money. The new purse wasn't that important to me, and I wanted him to save for the new toy.

A few days later, the birthday party where the aforementioned toy was to be gifted was held. The party was at our neighborhood park, and started just shortly after Spiderman would get home from school.

I ended up teaching a piano lesson when Spiderman was supposed to be getting off the bus. It had been about 15 minutes since the bus had passed and there was no sign of my boy. I had a feeling that he had gone straight to the park. I called my friend and mom of the birthdayboy, and she confirmed that Spiderman had indeed gone to the park with them. He had apparently told her that I knew, so she didn't bother calling me.

When Spiderman came home from the party, I gave him a sound scolding. I had been worried, and it wasn't safe for him to go places without first telling me.

A few hours later, again at bedtime, I walked into the hall to find Spiderman crying. Again. I asked him what was wrong, trying to keep more of an open mind because of our conversation a few days earlier.

"I (sniff, sniff) didn't want to bother you (sniff, sniff) for the birthday party. That's why I (sniff, sniff) went to the park after I got off the bus. Because I didn't want to bother you and make you have to stop doing your chores."

Again with the heart melting like a snowman in Mexico.

He knew that I had a piano lesson. I've told the kids that my lessons are kind of like chores, since I'm earning money, and that they should only bother me if it's something really important. Like blood or puke or dinner burning.

He was only trying to help me. (Well, I think there was a little anticipation of the party in there, too, but I believe he was also trying to help.) My sweet, sweet Spiderman.

So my boy was willing to give up his money for me to have a new purse, and tried to make my life easier by taking initiative.

He's going to make a great husband someday.

Random Randomness

2011-03-18T11:03:00.003-06:00

Each morning as I put on makeup, do my hair and/or fold laundry, I catch up on my DVR. This morning I started to watch P.S. I Love You in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Also, we're getting rid of our Dish today and if I wanted to watch it again, it had to be today.

I started it just as I began to apply my make up. Bad idea. Do you know how hard it is to apply mascara while tears are streaming down your face? I don't recommend it. But I love that movie. The Irish countryside is breath-taking, and I love the idea of letters from a loved one after their death.

Plus, it has Gerard Butler and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Yes, please! I shed a few tears if it means I get to enjoy those men!

~~~~~~~~~

Also today, I finished Confessions of a Shopaholic. That's a show I probably should have watched the day it came out. Credit cards are the devil. I didn't have tens of thousands of dollars in debt like Rebecca Bloomwood, luckily, but I had enough. We used part of our tax return to pay it off, and then I actually cut up the card. First time I've ever done that. I even took a picture to show you guys, but I can't find the cord to upload pictures.

But it feels GOOD to not have to worry about that anymore!

~~~~~~~~~

I tried on 12 pairs of jeans yesterday. 5 different brands in 2 different stores. Do you think I found any? Nope. See, I have this thing where I only shop clearance racks. I don't pay full price for clothes. But the only jeans on clearance racks are jeggings. Or black skinny jeans with holes up the thigh and bedazzled pockets. Or disgusting mom-jeans. (Seriously. Who wears relaxed-fit anymore?! Seriously.)

So I ventured out of my comfort zone to regular-priced jeans. And I still didn't find any that I loved enough to pay full-price for! I ended up going to Walmart where I knew they'd at least be cheap. Yes, I am that desperate. I have TWO pairs of jeans. My other two pairs sprung holes this week and now I don't have enough pants. But even Walmart didn't have jeans that worked for me! I found some that fit at the waist but they were too long. Apparently people my size aren't short. (I refuse to let this affect my body-image. I fully blame the fashion industry for forgetting about short people. Apparently ANTM's "short" cycle didn't haven't a lasting effect.)

I would seriously consider buying the Pajama Jeans if they didn't cost $40!! I don't spend $40 on a pair of REAL jeans!! And these are just sweat pants! Who pays $40 for sweat pants?

Sigh.

I'm going to have to go looking again today. I need more than two pairs of pants.

~~~~~~~~~

Within one week's time, I went from having 3 piano students to 9. It's awesome and kind of crazy. I'm still trying to figure out how they're all going to fit into my schedule. But I'm excited. It feels good to actually be contributing to our household income, instead of just spending it all. One of the students is actually swapping babysitting for lessons. So Superman and I will have a babysitter twice a month!

~~~~~~~~~

Miss Marvel turned 1. I have pictures, but as I mentioned, the cord to connect the camera and the computer is gone. I tried just uploading straight from the memory card, but for some reason, my most recent pictures weren't popping up. I'm going to have to hunt down the cord because the girl is adorable. She plays peek-a-boo and hums and loves playing with her boys.

A few weeks ago, they all were running around, shooting finger guns. Miss Marvel actually started pointing fingers at the boys and making shooting sounds, mimicking them perfectly! It was hilarious! Then the other night, Superman was playing Star Wars with the boys. They would run up to him, only to be "forced" away and onto the ground. Miss Marvel ran up to Superman and he "forced" her for fun. But she actually started walking backwards, then plopped down to the floor. Superman and I cracked up!!! I guess that's what she gets for having two older brothers!!

I'm not a list maker. Maybe I'd get more done if I were.

2011-03-16T18:51:00.005-06:00

I don't have a bucket list. There are a few things I've thought about doing before I die, but I've never made an official list. I have made

That's about to change.

My official bucket list, as it were:

1. Travel through Germany, France and Italy.
2. Go to Ireland, England and Scotland.
3. Go on a Caribbean cruise.
4. Serve a mission with Superman.
5. Complete my degree.
6. See a show on Broadway.
7. Go to Disneyland or Disneyworld.
8. Become a great (gospel) teacher.
9. Visit the Holy Land.
10. See a Hawaiian sunset.
11. Learn to ski.
And finally,
12. Own a minivan.

Do you have a bucket list? If you post yours and link back to Melanie J, you can win a copy of her book, "The List."

That of course is not at ALL why I posted/spontaneously created mine...........

p.s. This post is so bare-bones it pains me to publish it. But I don't have the time to make it funny or pretty, and I know if I don't do this now, it won't get done.

p.p.s. Apparently I've written other posts about bucket lists. They're pretty good, if I do say so myself. Proof that I can be poignant, when I have the time.

Calling all entertainment junkies!!!!!!

2011-03-15T10:04:00.002-06:00

Did you watch The Bachelor last night? Want to know my thoughts? Head on over to Blog the Day Away, a site that I am now officially a contributor on. It's a TV, book and movie review blog. They were in need of a new contributor and since I watch like a million TV shows, they thought I might be able to do the job.

My review of last night's Bachelor finale is here.

I know it seems a little odd to be contributing to another blog when I hardly write on my own, but it is what it is. I just don't feel like I have much to blog about here. Kids are good. I'm good. Superman's good. I'm going to paint my fireplace this week. Miss Marvel's teething. I've been reading a lot lately (I'll probably review some of the books) and watching 'my shows'. Just not a lot of blog fodder.

So if you want a place to discuss The Bachelor, American Idol, Big Bang Theory, Dancing with the Stars, America's Next Top Model, Grey's Anatomy, Community, Modern Family, Vampire Diaries, Amazing Race, Survivor or any other show, hop on over! We also review movies and books. (I saw Tron last week. Look for my scathing review in the near future.) And as I mentioned, I'll post reviews of the books I've read lately. I bought a copy of Melanie J's The List and hope to read that within the next few days. Look for a scathing review of it as well.

Add Blog the Day Away to your reader! Do it! Do it now!

RAN to the DOM

2011-02-25T14:22:00.006-07:00

- Today is Superman's birthday eve. He'll be 29.

- Today is also my youngest brother's birthday. He's 17 and just got his license. I still have a hard time believing he's not 8 any more.

- Today is ALSO the Hulk's last day of preschool. He's tested out, because it's a state-run preschool. I'm proud of him, but also wondering what the HECK I'm going to do with him all day long! Playdate, anyone?

- I got to meet up with some bloggers today. It wasn't an exclusive thing, so don't feel bad. Annie is planning DeNae's son's wedding reception, but she needed help with the execution of the reception since she'll actually be out of town the day of. So Steph and Kristina and Jill and a few other bloggers met up with Annie, got step-by-step details (including pictures) (controlling much?) (just kidding!) from the planner, then went to lunch.

- At said lunch, I ordered a Dr. Pepper. (They didn't have diet). I inhaled my first one pretty quickly (I had a migraine coming on) and the waitress had a refill for me quite promptly. But I nearly choked on my first sip because it was NOT Dr. Pepper. I think it was Diet Coke. Now, I know many of you out there are DC lovers. I, however, am not. Especially when I am unprepared for it. It was like drinking coffee when you think you're going to drink hot chocolate. I'm getting chills now, just thinking about it.

- I'm cooking two pans of brownies right now to surprise Superman at his office. What are the chances that they'll be done when I need them to be? I'm thinking not good, since I am almost always running perpetually late.

- I need to clean out my oven. I spilled some lasagna in it a few weeks ago and now every time I warm up the oven, it smells like burnt tomato sauce. But the only time I actually remember that my oven needs to be cleaned is when I need to use it. Thus, my oven is never clean.

- I went to my Zumba class last night. Even though I was crampy. That's how great Zumba is. MWAH! to Zumba!

- Do you watch Big Bang Theory? Community? American Idol? Grey's Anatomy? Private Practive? The Office? I watch all of these shows. And do you know when they are ALL on? Thursday. And I simply do NOT have enough space on my DVR. I chose to record American Idol since that's the only show I can't watch online. Superman and I will have to catch up on the comedies tonight. Along with Smallville and The Soup. Then I'll watch Fashion Police.

- Along the same lines.....if you watch TV like I do, (which I admit is probably too much) do you have a place online to discuss your shows? Do you just do it on your blog? I used to comment on a small entertainment site, but I think 2 of the contributors had babies and the site kinda dropped off. Do any of you know of a site like that? If not, would you be interested in contributing to or reading one?

- Wow. I don't know where that came from. I did NOT intend to propose a new blog. I can't even keep up with the ones I have now. But I kinda want to throw my ideas around about The Bachelor and American Idol and Biggest Loser........so...........yeah. Get back to me on that one.

- I'd better go check on my brownies.

- Dang it. I over-cooked them. Who would've guessed that 2 pans of brownies only take 3 more minutes to cook than one pan?

- I'm out. Word to your mother.

Liquidy Fluids

2011-02-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

We're having a problem with fluids at our house.

Poor Miss Marvel has had a stomach bug. She kinda threw up the other day. It was more like a chunky spit up than actual vomit. (Delicious, right?) I have since kept her pacifier in her mouth as much as possible to keep down anything else that might come up. (Is that mean? Or smart? Doesn't it seem like a lot of parenting comes down to that question?) So although she's hasn't ralphed, she's had some.......fun diapers. Lots of #3. (You know. #1 plus #2. #3)

So there's that.

Then there's Spiderman, who's been like Water Works in Monopoly the last little while. He cries at anything. Anytime I'm in his classroom, he finds something to get worked up about. Or when I'm helping him sound out words and he guesses the wrong vowel sound. He cried when his video game privileges were revoked. He cried when I asked him to clean up his bedroom. He's crying on my shoulder right now because he doesn't want to go to bed. I'm not even kidding. He's like a 12-year-old girl at a Justin Beiber concert.

The Hulk's fluid problem is the same as its always been -- potty training. He went 4 days without an accident, then pooped his pants today. Incidentally, it was after all his chores were done and he had played his video game that the "accident" happened. One of his requirements for playing Lego Star Wars is to have no accidents. So I find it interesting that only after he played his game for the day did the "accident" occurred. (The kid is driving me batty. He's graduating preschool early because he's excelling so much, but he still can't keep his pants clean for more than 5 days at a time. I really really hope that changes by kindergarten.)

But the biggest fluid problem 'round these parts involves a thing and not a person. But the thing is so important that it's like a person. It's the kitchen sink. And unlike all the other fluid issues in our aMayzing household, the sink's problem is one of stoppage, not leakage. It's been slowly building up the last few weeks and hit the breaking point this afternoon. I had complete stoppage in both sides of the sink. We called a plumber, but he couldn't come till tomorrow. Superman got a bucket and unscrewed portions of the pipes. Water poured out, but we couldn't see a blockage. When he screwed the pipe back on and turned on the water, the same thing happened. Complete lack of drainage.

So Superman went to good ole Wallyworld and bought the most expensive drain unclogger he could find. The bottle said that the user should wear protective eyewear and rubber gloves when pouring it down the drain. (We of course had neither of those and just decided to be really careful.) I asked Superman if we should say a prayer before pouring it in the sink. I was kidding, but I shouldn't have been. We should have prayed.

Note to self: If your gut is telling you to pray, for the love of Google, PRAY.

(Maybe there's a reason we're told to pray always....)

The bottle said to pour it down the sink, wait 20 minutes, then chase it with cold water. It also said to make sure the liquid wouldn't be touching any non-acidic proof substance. (Like cotton or skin. Hence the warning to use gloves.)

About 18 minutes after we poured the Liquid Death down the drain, we saw water leaking onto the kitchen floor.

The cleaner has eaten through our PVC pipe.

Which brings me to the last fluid-related problem within the walls of my home:

My tears ducts. They've had about all they can take and are now ready to burst.

WAAAAAAHHH!

Learning by Immersion

2011-02-08T09:23:00.004-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, Superman and I have the opportunity to put Spiderman in a Chinese language dual-immersion program. The program runs first through sixth grade. The students spend half the day learning reading, writing and spelling in English, then the other half they learn math, science and social studies in Chinese.

We're considering this for a few reasons. First, Superman went to Taiwan on his mission and speaks some Chinese. So Spiderman would have additional reinforcement at home. Secondly, this is an incredible opportunity. The world market is headed toward the East, and any leg up we could give our children would have exponential benefits. Thirdly, Spiderman seems really excited about it. Fourthly, research and testing have great news about the program. Kids who learn math in Chinese do much better at it. Being bi-lingual gives you a better understanding of your own language. And because half the day is taught in English, the kids don't lag behind in their own language. Most of them test right at grade level, and many test above, on standardized testing.

I am hesitant about the program for many reasons. I am mostly nervous because I'm just not sure if it's the best fit for Spiderman. He is a bright child, but he is right in the middle of the pack in reading and writing. Sometimes he switches consonants around in words he hears. He didn't really start talking till he was 3. He is more prone to guessing words than sounding them out.

He gets overwhelmed and frustrated very easily. Every time I ask him to do his chores or his homework, he cries. He says it's 'too hard'. I have to talk him down each time. I worry about him being overwhelmed when his teacher only speaks Chinese. I know of a girl whose mother is a native Chinese-speaker, and even that child came home crying every day for the first month.

I am also worried about him socially. He still talks about how many friends he had at our old house and that he wants more friends here. There are several reasons he doesn't have as many friends. 1) He's now in school all day. 2) The demographic of the neighborhood is different. There just aren't as many kids. 3) The kids in his grade at school aren't in his class at church. Basically, he just doesn't have the same opportunities to make friends as he once did. But his closest friends are the ones he rides the bus with. If he goes to another school, he will lose that social aspect.

The schools hosting the Chinese immersion do not have buses. I would drive them to and from school each day. It's a 10-20 minute drive depending on traffic and the school he'd go to. I'd be driving the boys for the next 7 years. (If Spiderman gets into the program this year, the Hulk would most likely do it next year, and continue through the 6th grade.)

That's a pretty big time commitment.

But even now, as I review this list of concerns, I can rebut each one. If he's just average in reading and writing, that's okay. He'll be learning those in English. Mixes up consonants occasionally? Then learning a new language will make his weakness a strength. If I want him to make more friends, I need to get to know the parents of the kids he gets along with. Arrange a play date. Not a big deal. And driving to and from school each day is a small price to pay for my child being nearly fluent in a 2nd language by 7th grade.

The program director is hoping to have higher level Chinese courses available at the middle and high school level by the time the children reach that age. Ideally, they would continue learning Chinese and be taking college courses by high school.

At first, I felt like like doing this would be choosing the direction of Spiderman's life. What if he doesn't want to speak Chinese in his profession? What if he feels like he has to? I don't want him to resent us making this choice for him.

Then I realized the utter absurdity of that. What person doesn't want to speak another language? What adult resents the opportunities their parents gave them? Just because he may speak Chinese, doesn't mean he has to live in China or be a UN translator. He would just have an incredibly marketable skill to accompany whatever it is he chooses to do with his life.

Parent-teacher conferences are this week and I will be discussing this possibility with Spiderman's teacher. Superman and I are continuing to make this a matter of prayer, as well.

So now that you have all the details, what do you think? Am I just being silly and over-protective thinking this might not be the best fit? Can I really deny him this opportunity based on those factors? Or are they legitimate concerns?

Inquiring minds want to know......

2011-02-03T09:50:00.003-07:00

Language immersion programs.

I know that some of you out there have had children in language immersion programs, and I'm sure others of you know people who do.

What are your thoughts on language immersion programs?

I will share some of my thoughts in my next post, but I want to hear what you have to say. Superman and I have the chance to put one of our children in a Chinese immersion program, and I want to learn as much as I can.

I'm not cool enough to choose a "word" or "theme"

2011-01-08T10:27:00.003-07:00

So I'm just making regular old resolutions this year. We'll see how well I do on them. (That's the right attitude to have, right?)

1. Become a better teacher.

Superman and I have been called to teach the 14-15 year old class at church. I've taught Relief Society and Primary before, with ease. I did not expect to have a problem teaching the youth, but I do. There is little to no participation, and I struggle with making the lesson fun (and therefore memorable) while still teaching the basics.

Superman is a fantastic, marvelous, highly gifted teacher. His lessons are humorous, memorable, and he teaches with the Spirit. Mine, on the other hand, have been lack-luster thus far. We alternate weeks and tomorrow is my first lesson with our new class. As you can see, I'm doing a great job working on my resolution as I am blogging instead of preparing my lesson.

2. Write in my journal and my children's journals more.

I used to do a half-decent job at this. Every three or four months I'd pull out our journals and catch up. But the last two years or so, I haven't done well at all. On the boys' birthdays I'll pull them out, but I have barely recorded that I got pregnant with Miss Marvel in my own journal! I had journals for both boys while they were still in utero. Miss Marvel just got her first journal for Christmas. She is 10 months old, walking, growing teeth, and starting to talk and I haven't recorded a single thing.

But this year we have church at nine (HALLELUJAH!!!) and I will have time in the afternoons for Sabbath-appropriate activities. If I can just pull out one journal each Sunday, I'll be writing in each of our journals once a month. Seems like a goal I should be able to keep.

3. Exercise.

Notice that there's no more or time frame attached to that one. That would be because I don't exercise. Like, at all. A few years ago I bought a Dancing with the Stars workout DVD. It was great at first. The boys (who were 2 and 4 at the time) would play while I worked out, or join me in trying to dance. I frequently stumbled over them, but we were all having fun. After about a month, however, they grew bored with it. They would just walk over and turn off the TV while the video was on. Then I started walking in the mornings with a friend, but we stopped when school started and the temperature dropped. That was over a year ago.

But my new ward has just started an exercise class. Twice a week we meet and just follow a video. We can bring our kids -- it's very low-key. I've also started going to Zumba at my local rec center and I LOVE IT. It's fun and a good workout. I'm still trying to convince Superman that the $30/mo for a pass is a good investment and I won't flake out. Maybe I should just check out a video from the library.

So, there you have it, folks. My resolutions. It's the first time in my adult life that I've had any. I don't think I'd do well with a word or theme, mostly because those are very broad and therefore easy to forget or ignore. I need more specific goals -- things that can be easily monitored. My main reason for recording these is so I have some accountability.

What about you? Have you made resolutions? I've seen some good themes and words out there: Annie's Choose Charity, Cynthia's Cultivate, Tiburon's Audacious and Kristina P.'s Smut (of course.) Do you have a word of or theme for the year?

Random Friday

2011-01-07T09:17:00.004-07:00

Miss Marvel is walking. She walks about 75% of the time now.

She's also only about 16 pounds at 10 mos. She looks like a Baby Alive walking around.

I've gone to Zumba 3 times now and can't get enough. I'm not a fan of workout videos, but I might give it a try for Zumba, rather than pay $4 every time I get the itch.

My ward has started a twice/week workout class. I love getting more exercise, even if most of the people there are over 65. (My new neighborhood is very well established.)

Today is my first "normal" day since the week before Christmas. The kids were out of school a full week before Christmas, then my mom and younger brother came and stayed until yesterday. It was fun having them here as extra babysitters and people to run around with. Back to reality today.

The Hulk has learned to count in Spanish. I often hear him around the house counting, "Uno dos, tres. Cuatro, cinco seis!" His favorite number is ocho. He may or may not watch a lot of Dora the Explorer.

His other new thing is "Punch yourself in the face." I'll ask him if he wants a snack and he says, "Yes. Punch yourself in the face." He says it very matter-of-factly. The kids cracks me up.

Spiderman is reading. He's in kindergarten and he's sounding out words, doing simple math, and mastering patterns. For his homework the other night, he wrote a story about something you do in the winter time.

Is it just me, or is kindergarten much further advanced than when we were kids?!

I got a haircut the other day. I love it. It comes just past my shoulders now and is a little shorter in the back. Superman misses the long hair, but kept it long for 5 years. Now that I have a Chi, I can do short hair without it being poofy. I'll take a picture.....someday. Someday when I don't have a zit on my chin and can squeeze out a half-decent picture.

I made resolutions (but I'm just calling them 'goals') for the new year. Maybe I'll do a post about them.

Sex and the City (the show) is playing on Vh1 right now. I am SSOOOOO Charlotte. 110%. Who are you?

Random Friday

2010-12-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

My family is getting a dog for Christmas.

She's a 6-year-old German Shepherd. Gorgeous, low-energy, gentle.

It's mainly my present to Superman. He wants a dog badly, so I decided my gift to him would be finding a dog that works for our family. Also, he never ever ever ever wants to me to spend money, so we've been searching KSL's free pets and finally found the perfect one.

The Hulk is upstairs pretending to be the Grinch right now. Decorated a small Christmas tree, made a sleigh, and convinced me to be a reindeer.

Miss Marvel took her first steps this week. She's 9.5 months. She's got 2 teeth on bottom and 2 more coming up top.

I am ready for her to be done teething. She's been at least up twice a night for the last two weeks. It's starting to take its toll on the both of us.

Spiderman asked me to come to his Christmas party at school today. Love that he wants me there.

I need to prepare my lesson for Sunday. Since we skipped Isaiah due to several substitutes, I'm thinking about just reading the Messianic verses from Isaiah and listening to songs from Handel's Messiah. Or is that too lazy?

I have all my Christmas shopping done, but none of the wrapping.

Do you buy any (or all) of your own Christmas presents? Do you wrap them and put them under the tree?

I just went upstairs to find ALL the ornaments off the lower half of the tree and the stockings gone. The Grinch has struck again!!!

Sometimes I feel like I'm so busy now that life is just happening to me, instead of me participating. Like I'm simply being acted upon, instead of acting. (Thank you, Elder Bednar.) I used to be more selfish with my time. I'm doing a lot more to actively raise my children and serve others, but I miss doing something simply because I want to do it. I need to make time for something for ME.

Consequently, I attended my first Zumba class this week.

I can't WAIT to go back.

I think I also need to make more time for blogging -- recording my own thoughts. Maybe I should actually write in my journal................

For Superman's work party tonight we're going to Goodwood then bowling. I'm actually pretty excited about bowling. I'm such a nerd.

I'm looking forward to the kids being out of school next week. Not only will it be a welcome break from our schedules, but I hope to do fun things with them. Not quite sure what, yet........any ideas?

The end.

Do you believe in magic?

2010-12-13T10:08:00.001-07:00

When I was in first grade, I discovered Chris Van Allsberg. I loved his stories and illustrations. Half way through the school year I had read all his children's books and The Polar Express was my absolute favorite.

At 7 I still completely believed in Santa. December was a magical time of year in my home. We often did a 12 Days of Christmas for a family in need. We went caroling and drank egg nog. We watched White Christmas and the Disney sing-a-long for Christmas. We got a real tree every year. One year, we saw Santa at the gas station on the way home from the tree farm. (Large man, all in read, with a real white beard. He drove a red minivan and the plate read MRCLAUS.) We even had visits from the elves. If we had been good, the elves would leave candy on our pillows every few days.

It was magical.

After reading The Polar Express that year, I decided that I was going to test Santa. Rumors had started in my class that the jolly old elf was not what I had been taught to believe. So I decided that I would test my theory and ask Santa for a sleigh bell. I told no one of my plans. On Christmas Eve I wrote my letter and left it out, not really knowing what to expect in the morning.

After we had opened all the presents Christmas morning, I was disappointed to see that there was no special box for me. More than disappointed -- devastated. I guess my friends had been right. Then my dad said, "Wait. What's this on the tree?"

I looked, and there was some kind of new ornament. It was a small tin box with Norman Rockwell-type paintings on each side. Could this be it? I took it off the tree and opened it.

Inside was my sleigh bell.

It was still attached to the worn leather, like it had been snipped right off Dancer's reigns. There was a sprig of pine inside as well.

On the bottom, a message had been carved into the tin, maybe with a pocketknife.

"To Alyssa,

Merry Christmas!

Love, Mr. C"

I was AMAZED.

Santa was TOTALLY real.

~~~~~~~~

Throughout the following years, my friends had tried to tell me the truth, but I wouldn't let them dissuade me. They told me it was my parents, but I couldn't believe that mom and dad would be able to find a sleigh bell at 9 pm on Christmas Eve. It MUST have been Santa. (It should be noted that I'm exceptionally trusting and naive by nature.)

I believed in Santa till I was 12 years old, when my younger brother showed me mom's stash of candy -- the same candy the elves brought us. I wasn't mad. Honestly, I knew the story couldn't be true, but I just couldn't figure out how my parents had got me that sleigh bell.

I asked my mom just the other day how she managed to pull it off.

It turns out that after reading The Polar Express that year, they decided to surprise us with sleigh bells on Christmas morning anyway. The fact that I secretly asked Santa for one was just icing on the cake and added to the magic.

So, yes. I believe in the magic of Christmas.

What's YOUR favorite Christmas memory?

(This is a re-post and part of NieNie Asks on BlogHer)

Family pictures

2010-12-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine and photographer took our family pictures. Nemiha's actually the one who shot our wedding. It was fun to see her again and finally get family pictures with our new addition.

Getting all 3 kids to smile at once is not an easy task.

Miss Marvel aka Cinderella

Blowing raspberries. Note the drool.

The Hulk. This kid can't take a bad picture.

My sweet, six-year-old Spiderman.

Love this girl.

And these silly boys.

Can't you just see the mischief in his eyes?

And this one cracks me up. He was all about hamming it up for the camera.

How great is this picture? I think I'm going to print off a large version for my MIL for Christmas. (Hi, Robin!)

This is Miss Marvel's expression most of the time.

Nice to get a good shot of the two of us.

Me and my kids.

Thanks again, Nemiha!!

p.s. are these pixelated for you? I don't know if it's because of my lame computer or low-res images.

Spare change

2010-12-05T22:22:00.005-07:00

Today in Relief Society we talked about gift giving. Our teacher mentioned that true gift giving requires a sacrifice from the giver. It reminded me of something that happened last week that I felt the need to record.

I took a cat nap on the floor a few days ago. I laid on my stomach with my head turned to the side. My neck was a little sore when I woke, but nothing serious. The next morning when I got out of bed, however, I no longer had full mobility in my neck. Every time I did a Justin Bieber-esque head flick to get my bangs out of my eyes, my neck would spasm. I had been overdue to see the chiropractor before this, but was just waiting till after payday. It wasn't that big of a deal until my unfortunate nap.

Of course, that morning, the Hulk wanted pancakes for breakfast. I told him I couldn't do it because I couldn't really lift my arm much to pour the batter. I explained that I needed the doctor to fix my neck, then I could make pancakes for him. He asked when that would be, and I told him that I was going to have to wait one more day till I had enough money. (The next day was payday.) He was okay with that and I got him a bowl of cereal.

A few hours later, as he was getting ready for school, he came to me with something in his hand.

"Here, Mom," he said.

"What's this, sweetheart?" I asked as I reached to take whatever he was offering.

He opened his hand to reveal a quarter and some pennies he'd been holding on to.

"You can have some of my money to fix your neck."

I melted.

That boy of mine may drive me crazy peeing his pants, but he is one sweet kid.

He knows how to sacrifice and give a gift of love.

Forgive the indulgence, but it's something I wanted to remember.

p.s. I didn't have to wait to go to the chiropractor and all is well with my neck now.

Of cakes and the prayers of a mother

2010-11-25T07:48:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago was Spiderman's birthday. I was so burned out from October that I didn't plan much for him. I picked up a small cake (from the day-old rack) at Walmart. I bought a few other things, then went to the new Hobby Lobby.

I had only been there a few minutes when a lady came up to me and asked if I had just been at Walmart. I answered in the affirmative, wondering what in the world the woman wanted with me.

"Did you buy a small cake?" Again, I answered yes, though I couldn't imagine why she was asking me these questions. "You left it there," she informed me. "The cashier said you'd be back, but I wasn't sure you would be, what with a little baby. I tried to look for you in the parking lot but didn't see you." the lady explained.

"Oh my gosh! I had no idea! And you just happened to be coming to Hobby Lobby next?" I asked her incredulously. She assured me that she had. She was just as surprised as I to find that I was right in front of her when she walked in. "Thank you so much!" I told her. "It would've been hours before I even realized it. I'm so glad you came to Hobby Lobby!"

I was able to go back to Walmart and get the cake, no harm done.

That right there is a tender mercy, my friends. If that lady hadn't found me, I wouldn't have realized till after the children were home that I didn't have the cake. I wouldn't have been able to go back without taking everyone and Spiderman seeing me buy his cake. It would've been a hassle and incredibly frustrating.

But the Lord was watching out for me that day. It was a small thing, but meant a lot.

Just one more thing I'm thankful for:

I've started teaching piano lessons. Superman and I talked a few weeks ago about me needing more students to pay for the beautiful baby grand we purchased. We planned on me having at least 6 students, and I only had 3. I told him I'd talk to a few people who had expressed interest.. I talked to one, but it wasn't a very fruitful conversation.

The next day, I got a phone call from someone in the ward I don't know, but who knew that I taught piano. She asked if her two girls could take lessons from me. We set up a time. I hung up, thinking, "That was an answer to prayer. Wait. I didn't pray for students. I should have been. That was an answer to a prayer I didn't pray."

The next day, I was catching up with my mom and told her about the new students. She was thrilled, then proceeded to tell me that a few days before, she thought that she should be more specific in her prayers about her children. Instead of just asking that I be blessed, she thought about what I really needed and prayed for it.

She asked that I find more piano students.

The Lord answers prayers.

I have so much to be thankful for this day, but I wanted to remember specific ways the Lord has blessed me recently.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.
May your day be filled with love and gratitude and really good food.

Tuesday Randomness

2010-11-23T16:39:00.004-07:00

~Because I'm feeling the need to write and don't have time to piece together a coherent post~

* Miss Marvel is getting a tooth. It's finally broken through her gums. I didn't even realize she was teething. She's about the sweetest thing ever and rarely cries, so I had no idea.

* I can't get shoes to stay on that girl's feet to save my life! She lost a pair of boots at Target that I tried to replace, but those don't stay on either. GIRL NEEDS SHOES. It's too cold to be in just socks and she's going to be walking soon. Any tips on shoes that stay on little pudgy feet with pointed toes?

* I'm excited for the holiday break. We can all stay home in our pajamas. I'll decorate for Christmas. Stay home on Black Friday. (Unless you know of any super awesome amazing deals that I can't afford to miss....)

* I'm supposed to make 2 green bean casseroles (which I hate) for Thanksgiving dinner and don't have all the ingredients. Do I dare brave Walmart with 3 kids? I haven't done it in a few months and I'm kinda scared to do it amidst the holiday rush.

* The Hulk calls Captain Crunch "Captain America." He asks for a bowl of Captain America every morning. He also calls Frosted Flakes "Flosted Fakes."

* Superman bought a Captain America shield to cover our dartboard.

* I bought the dartboard specifically because Superman wanted a Captain America shield over one. We also have a Batman mask, Superman cape, Clark Kent's glasses, and Wonder Woman's gold lasso hanging on the same wall. I'd take a picture if I could.

* I am completely out of memory on my memory card. I have pics from last Christmas on there, but I don't know if I've printed them out yet, so I can't erase any pictures and take new ones.

* I need to go to the chiropractor.

* I need to figure out Christmas. I'm not doing much this year. Some of that is due to budget restraints, but mostly, we don't need anything. The children all need boots, but that's about it. They want Pillow Pets, but my mom is already making quillows (quilt/pillow) for them. Do they also need pillow pets? Superman is the one that really needs stuff, but he won't let me spend a dime on him. He needs new dress shirts sweaters, and shoes. Not quite sure how I'm going to solve that problem.

* I miss writing. I'm glad I blogged today.

Dear Peanut Gallery,

2010-11-19T14:11:00.003-07:00

Read any good books lately?

Does having your windshield wipers on high make you feel neurotic?

Have you started Christmas shopping yet?

When you see a woman in a turtleneck, do you wonder if she has a hickey?

Do you think Bristol Palin is going to win Dancing with the Stars?

Do you color your hair? If so, do you do it yourself or go to a salon?

Signed,
Curious and Wonder{ful} Woman in Utah

100 truths

2010-11-17T10:12:00.002-07:00

I feel like I'm so busy right now, I don't even have time to THINK of something I'd blog about. I generally write about stuff that's been percolating in my head for a while, but I haven't even had time to ponder the intricacies of life lately. I've read some good books lately, (The Book Thief and The Handmaid's Tale), but I've discussed them with friends and haven't had to use my blog for that. I also have Halloween and birthday pictures to post, but it takes a while for my computer to transfer pictures and I just don't have that kind of time anymore!

So I'm totally stealing this from Sher (who stole it herself) for something to post.

100 truths:

1. Last beverage: Hot chocolate
2. Last phone call: My mom
3. Last text message: Superman, asking me to deposit checks from our renters
4. Last song you heard: Singin' in the Rain & Umbrella mash-up on Glee last night.
5. Last time you cried: Sunday during the primary program.

HAVE YOU EVER:
6. Got back with someone you've broken up with: Yes. I even married the guy.
7. Been cheated on: Not to my knowledge...
8. Kissed someone & regretted it: No, thankfully.
9. Lost someone special: Yes
10. Been depressed: Not clinically, but I've had plenty of down days/weeks
11. Been drunk and threw up: Never.

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:
12. Fuchsia
13. Turquoise
14. Red

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU: (2010)

15. Made a new friend: Yes, thankfully!
16. Fallen out of love: No
17. Laughed until you cried: Yes
18. Met someone who changed you: Yes
19. Found out who your true friends were: Yes, but not in a negative way.
20. Found out someone was talking about you: Not this year
21. Kissed anyone on your Facebook friends list: Nope, since neither Superman or my kids are on FB
22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life: I'd say two-thirds
23. How many kids do you want? Four, maybe more?
24. Do you have any pets: no, a fact that both my husband and his sons lament.
25. Do you want to change your name: no...
26. What did you do for your last birthday: Went to Tucanos with close friends.
27. What time did you wake up? 6:50. WAY too early.
28. What were you doing at midnight last night? Still trying to wind down, prepping for my lesson on Sunday.
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for: A minivan.
30. Last time you saw your mother: July.
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: to actually feel satisfied, not always wanting more
33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Yes. He lives in my basement.
34. Who is getting on your nerves now? I did have a child clamoring for food and attention, but that stopped, luckily.
35. Most visited websites: Facebook, Bloglines (MUCH prefer it to google reader and am so glad it's not being discontinued!)
36. What's your real name: Alyssa
37. Nicknames: Mom, babe
38. Relationship Status: Happily Married.
39. Zodiac sign: libra
40. Male or female: Female, last time I checked.
41. Primary School: College Hill Elementary
42. Middle School: Goddard Middle School
43. High school: Goddard High School
44. Hair color: Blonde with strawberry and WAY too much brown. (I'll be fixing that TONIGHT.)
45. Long or short: Long.
46. Height: almost 5' 1"
47. Do you have a crush on someone? Totally.
48: What do you like about yourself? I want to be everyone's friend. I don't want anyone to feel left out. I dive right into social situations and get to know people.
49. Piercings: 1 in each ear.
50. Tattoos: nope, I'll stick with stretch marks as the only marks on my body.
51. Righty or lefty: righty

FIRSTS:

52. First surgery: yet to happen
53. First piercing: Ears, when I was 7
54. First best friend: Tabbitha, in 2nd grade. We're still close.
55. First sport you joined: Cheerleading in 8th grade
56. First vacation: Kansas to Utah
58. First pet: Shiloh, a dog we had a few years ago.

RIGHT NOW:

59. Eating: Nothing. No food on the carpet, as the Hulk reminds me 8 times a day when I try to sneak.
60. Drinking: Nothing. No drinks on the carpet, either.
61. I'm about to: get ready for the day
62. Listening to: Dora theme song. (She's not really a super-cool exploadora. She's mostly annoying.)
63. Waiting for: Miss Marvel to wake up so we can go grocery shopping.

YOUR FUTURE:

64. Want kids?: I want one more (...at least. I probably won't have more than that, but I'm open to the possibility.)
65. Get married?: Hopefully I won't have to do it ever again. I'm content with the marriage I have now!
66. Career: Piano teacher, mother. Maybe one day I'll go back to school to be a teacher...
67. Lips or eyes: Um, yes, I hope to have them in the future..... (What are they asking? Plastic surgery?)
68. Hugs or kisses: both
69. Shorter or taller: I'll most likely get even shorter
70. Older or Younger: Really? is being younger in the future an option?
71. Romantic or spontaneous: Who says you can't be both?
72. Nice stomach or nice arms: I'd rather have a nice stomach.
73. Sensitive or loud: I am loud. Always.
74. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship

HAVE YOU EVER:

76. Kissed a stranger: No
77. Drank hard liquor: Never
78. Lost glasses/contacts: yes, in the past, but not for the last few years.
79. Sex on first date: I'll have to say NO to that one.
80. Broken someone's heart: Yes. Not fun.
82. Been arrested: no
83. Turned someone down: Yes.
84. Cried when someone died: Yes.
85. Fallen for a friend: Yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

86. Yourself: Generally speaking...
88. Love at first sight: Not really. Lust at first sight, or instant connection, yes.
89. Heaven: definitely!
90. Santa Claus: Of course!
91. Kiss on the first date: No. Kisses mean love. I guess if you're already in love, then the answer's yes.
92. Angels: Yes

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:

94. Had more than 1 girlfriend/boyfriend at a time: Nope. I am intensely loyal.
95. Did you sing today?: I sang "Good morning!" to Miss Marvel.
96. Ever cheated on somebody: no. (see 94)
97. If you could go back in time, how far would you go?: College. I would've transferred to the Y when I got married and graduated. Even if it meant going to school with two kids, I wish I would've done it.
98. The moment you would choose to relive? Each of my children's births.
99. Are you afraid of falling in love?: No.
100. Are you afraid of posting this as 100 truths?: Nope.

it's all good

2010-11-07T18:01:00.004-07:00

I feel like I've been living in a whirlwind the last month. All I do is go go go go and go.

Yesterday we had Spiderman's birthday party. He turned 6! I was too busy/lazy to blog about it. Maybe another day. The party just barely came together, and was just barely a success. I was ready to collapse for 4 days by 3:00 yesterday afternoon.

But I had another engagement last night. A dear friend was having a different kind of baby shower. It was a celebration of womanhood and motherhood. It was an evening of music and soliloquy. 20 women attended, most of whom didn't know each other, but we were all bound together by our love for one woman.

Some of the attendees were on the program (myself included) and so to make the performers more comfortable, everyone introduced themselves and one thing they loved about being a woman. There were some humorous answers, but most were thoughtful and poignant.

There were a few songs on the program, a few poems, and some beautiful words from a sister. Everyone had tears in their eyes at least once through the program. When it was over, no one wanted it to end. I stayed with several women and chatted about all things female for at least an hour after the program concluded. I met women who are hilarious, insightful, wise, and creative. They are incredible. It was a truly wonderful evening. I came home eager to squeeze my babies and husband.

Then this afternoon, Superman surprised me by wanting to cook dinner. He made a delicious chicken alfredo con broccoli. Now we're about to pile on the couch and watch How To Train Your Dragon.

I feel very satisfied. Happy. Content.

Life is good. And I wanted to record it.

The end.

I swear I'm not just telling you about this so I can win something.

2010-11-03T22:38:00.004-06:00

No, really. It's true. I had already decided to spit out a post about this wonderful new thingamajig BEFORE I found out it could get me something. That's how great it is. (BTW: apparently "thingamajig" is a real word. No red squigglies. How is that a word but "blogging" isn't?)

SO. The thing. It's a magazine that my hilarious and fantastically talented friend Melissa B (because i really can't get enough of myself) has put together with another marvelously talented woman. It's a blog review magazine. Cute designs. Great layout. Easy to navigate. Funny excerpts from bloggers I love. Funny and relate-able stuff from new (to me) bloggers.

It's awesome. I wish there was another issue RIGHT NOW for me to read -- that's how much I love it. I think I might go browse through it again, like I would a real magazine. (I love magazines. I wish I could justify buying lots of them. Parenting, Us Weekly, Cosmo, Glamor...I'd buy 'em all if I could justify spending the money. But that's the good thing about The Barrel -- it's free! At least for now. Melissa? Will it always be free? I should probably check my facts before I go blurting out stuff like that....They'll probably keep it free for a while -- long enough for us to all fall in love, then start charging. That's what I'd do.)

SHUT UP WONDER WOMAN.

It's been so long since I've really blogged that I'm just typing whatever comes to mind. I probably won't even proof read this thing before publishing. (I rarely do. Then I end up with blatant spelling (typing) errors that stay up for days and make me FURIOUS.)

Where was I?

Oh, yes. The Barrel. Is free. (Probably will be forever. Never mind my incoherent ramblings.) Is MARVY. Go check it out. I'll meet you there.

Letter from me, 10 years ago

2010-10-31T09:16:00.003-06:00

Wonder Woman,

Hi! Well, how you doing at...27? Man that sounds SO old! =D I hope you're still active in the Church. I'll bet you're married for eternity to a wonderful guy. (I wonder if it's Superman...=D) Was he a good measuring stick, if not? What ever happened to him? Do you two keep in touch? Hopefully you've graduated from a church college. I'll bet you have a few children -- Is there a girl named Emily Michelle? I love that name. Keep studying your scriptures and praying -- that testimony either grows or weakens each day! Do you and Kelli still keep in touch {Superman's sister and my best friend} You guys ARE sisters. =D Has the second coming happened yet? (Yeah, be sure and let know. Any who...) If not, GET READY NOW!!

Are you still HAPPY? Remember not to get frustrated. Ask for strength from the Lord -- DO NOT be too proud to think you can do everything on your own. Remember not to gossip -- you're feeling have been hurt by it, so you know what it feels like. Always tell your husband you support and love him. Compliment your kids. Be strict on them doing their homework! Read your patriarchal blessing. Heavenly Father knows you. NEVER EVER forget how much he loves you.

~Wonder Woman, October 4, 2000

(My parents sent this to me in my birthday package. It's a letter I wrote at 17 to be opened when I turned 27. )

Would you rather...

2010-10-25T20:01:00.003-06:00

...be without your phone
OR
your computer?

~

...be surprised on your birthday
OR
have complete control of the day?

~

...read a book that makes you think but leaves you slightly disturbed
OR
read a light book that you'll forget in a week?

~

...live in a great house in a not-so-great neighborhood
OR
a not-so-great house in a great neighborhood?

~

...know exactly when you're going to die
OR
not?

~

The game is to pick one OR the other. Can't do both.

Me?

I'd rather be without my computer than my phone.
Be surprised on my birthday.
Read a book that makes me think.
Live in a mediocre house in a great neighborhood.
Not know when I'm gonna die.

What about you?

It's official: I'm in my late 20s

2010-10-21T10:08:00.004-06:00

"The Astrology & Numerology of your Birthday:

The ruler of your Sun is Venus. Venus bestows a charming, sometimes indulgent nature, with a love of comfort and peace.

Secondary rulers of your decanate and quadrant signs are Mercury and the Moon. Mercury adds an analytical, intelligent, and communicative side to your nature, and the Moon enhances emotionality, warmth, and affection.

Your Personality Profile:

You are a progressive person with dynamism and enthusiasm. Your life is characterized by emotional ups and downs, and you are a sensitive person who picks up much–perhaps too much–from your environment. At times you feel overloaded, but your will is strong and you are resilient. In fact, you can be extremely stubborn at times! Highly magnetic, your communication skills are notable. You could be a natural teacher.
Dynamic – Articulate – Sensitive

Libra: the Scales

Libra is fair-minded, socially aware, and likable. Uncomfortable with anything that throws things out of balance, Libra aims towards harmony and equality. Decisions are often hard to make, and when there are too many of them to make, they can feel drained. Oftentimes they’ll procrastinate so they don’t have to settle on a solution or answer. This is because Libra always sees both sides to any situation. Partnerships are extremely important to Libra–Librans don’t like to go it alone. For the most part, Libra is accommodating and concerned about keeping the peace.

You Are Drawn to People Born on…February 12-22, June 14-24, August 17-24, December 17-24

Easy, subtle attraction and harmony: You don’t feel an irresistible pull towards each other, but over time, appreciate the peace you have between you. These people are good for you, although they might not challenge you to grow.

~~~~~~~~~

So there you have it: Wonder Woman in a nutshell! Indecisive. Procrastinator. Socially aware. Analytical. Emotional. Indulgent. Lover of comfort. Communicative. Teacher. (What I was going to be when I grew up.) All but one of my best friends have these birthdays: Feb 13, Feb 15, Feb 21, Dec. 24.

Today started out rough (kids up early, blow out diaper) but this is going to be a great day. No major plans today, but we've got October booked solid and I feel like this whole month has been a celebration. Haunted house, Odyssey Dance Theater's performance of Thriller, murder mystery part tomorrow, Halloween party next Friday, scary movie nights with friends, plus trick-or-treating in a new fun neighborhood and the church Halloween party.
I barely have time to celebrate my birthday!

But that's okay. I got some chocolate for myself, will probably buy a new purse, and plan to cook my favorite meal -chicken parmesan- tonight. Homemade candy sampler tonight for Relief Society.

27 is going to be a great year!

Reality TV in parenting: Hoarders, Supernanny and Rock of Love

2010-10-18T21:37:00.003-06:00

You know, I try to be a nice parent. Do fun things. Buy toys at the dollar and thrift stores. Get drinks from Sonic. Make cookies. Help clean up toys. Fold laundry.

I ask my children to do things instead of telling them. I give them the opportunity to choose to obey. I give second chances -- I'll count to three. Then I inform my kids of the consequence of their action so they know full well what they are choosing.

But I'm starting to wonder if I've done it wrong.

Because today I asked the kids to do things and I was only ignored. I started counting and got no response. I told them the consequence of not obeying and they still chose it. Then they threw fits when the consequences were enacted.

All we wanted was for the kids to pick up their toys. Superman asked nicely several times, then upped the ante: pick it up or it gets thrown away. Fits ensued because the boys didn't want their toys thrown away. Spiderman started to pick things up, but the Hulk didn't. He just threw a bigger fit.

We started putting trash and toys into a box to throw away. Instead of The Hulk taking his things out of the box and putting them away, he knocked over the box. (I didn't nickname him "The Hulk" just because he likes the color green.) Trash and cheap toys scattered. So I put him in his room as he started swatting at me.

30 minutes later, all had been picked up and Spiderman was doing his homework. I had a talk with Hulk about cleaning up our messes. He told me he "never never never" wanted to clean up. I asked him if he knew what would happen if we never cleaned up. He said he didn't.

So I turned on Hoarders. Luckily it wasn't on a commercial and the hoarder in question had a particularly disgusting house.

We talked about how there wasn't room to play or even walk. There was dirt and trash everywhere. I told him that we clean up our messes so that our house is a happy place to be.

By then, of course, the house was all picked up and there was nothing left for him to do.

Fast forward to the present -- bedtime. Completed our routines of pjs, books and prayers. Tuck the boys in, kisses good night, lights out. 10 minutes later, I'm in there turning off the light, telling them that if I have to come back in, they get no candy tomorrow. Ten more minutes later, I'm up there again. Every time I go into the boys' room to turn off the light and tell them to stop talking, I take away another privilege. Isn't that what Supernanny would do? As it stands, they get no candy, no computer games, no Tom and Jerry, and they can't play with their new ninja toys I so generously bought them today.

The boys share a room, but that was obviously too much for them tonight so I put one in Miss Marvel's room before she went to sleep. 20 minutes later I went in to put her down and move the supposedly sleeping child to his room, but he was still awake. As was his brother. Both had the lights on and weren't even trying to sleep. (That's when they lost computer games and DVRed shows.) I told them that if I had to come up again, they wouldn't play with their ninjas.

10 minutes later, I hear screaming and yelling.

The Hulk bit Spiderman on the rear. Spiderman had been grabbing Hulk's neck. (The red marks hadn't faded after ten minutes.) Classic Rock of Love cat-fight style. I tried to find out what they had been fighting about, but neither remembered. Spiderman is now on the couch in the living room and The Hulk is alone in his room. Hopefully this separation will do the trick and both will go to sleep.

I don't know what else to do, short of beating them. Which I won't do, despite the carnal desires of my exhausted, migraine-suffering body.

Have I been too nice? Are they "just boys"? Should they not share a room? Do I need to inflict harsher consequences? Do it sooner?

I am at a loss.

And we even had a great family home evening tonight about prayer. Just when I think I'm doing a good job as a mom, a night like this comes along, when my life is straight out of a reality show.

If only it were as fake as most of those shows are.....

Here's where my inner Libra really comes out.

2010-10-13T10:32:00.002-06:00

I am horribly indecisive. It's a chronic problem for Libras. So I need your help.

We've got family pictures tomorrow and I can't make up my mind. I know what Superman and I are wearing. He'll be wearing a black sweater over a white collared shirt and jeans. I'm wearing a black top with dress pants and pearl accessories. I thought about wearing skinny jeans since that's what "in," but I decided that I wanted to go classic. I never want to ask myself, "What was I thinking, wearing those in a picture?!" So we're set.

But I don't know what to do with the children!

I've got these options for the boys:

This is a corduroy-type shirt and a ribbed sweater, in case you couldn't tell. Both are a darker red than they appear.

Or we have the plaid shirt option.

And this for Miss Marvel. Black top or white top? She's wearing a small red bow, white tights and the Mary Janes. The black top has a little gathering at the neck line.

So plaid? All red? Ruffles? I don't know what would be best.

Also, I got my hair cut a few weeks ago. I ended up with "The Rachel" -- chunky layers instead of lots of blended layers. Should I go back tonight and have them fix it? Or is that too risky? Should I just "make it work?" I could do my hair wavy/curly.........so many options......

What should I do?
What would you do?
PLEASE help me!!!!!!

Lucky

2010-10-11T10:43:00.000-06:00

NieNie asks: What makes you lucky?

I answer:

Super-cute and stackable chillins

And, of course, I'm "Lucky I'm in love with my best friend.

"Lucky to have been where I have been.
Lucky to be coming home again.
Lucky we're in love in every way.
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed.
Lucky to be coming home someday."
(Jason M'raz and Colbie Caillat, #85 on my playlist-->)
Superman texted me last night:
"You wanna go out? We'll get shakes, go to the club, shoot pool and catch a movie."
After putting the kids down I walked into the kitchen to find a sign that said "Stone Shoppe," where I got some ice cream. We walked downstairs to "Stan's Pool Hall" where I schooled Superman in a game of pool. (Not really. But he scratched on the 8-ball so I "won" the game.)
Then we went to the "Orem Cineplex" and watched First Knight.....till the DVD froze. So we just went to bed early.

It was wonderful.

So what makes you lucky today?

My autumn recipe

2010-10-08T11:37:00.001-06:00

Start with a little bitta this:

Little bitta that:

(sorry 'bout the poor quality. Sign says Eat, Drink and Be Scary!)

Mixed with this:

(Although I'd rather have this:
framed above my fireplace).

Add some of this:

With a generous amount of this:

and slippers and hoodies.

Top it off with:

{Insert picture of hearty, homemade chicken noodle soup.
Google didn't have a good enough picture.}

I love, love LOVE fall!

Cooler weather.
Rain.
Slippers.
Hot chocolate.
Soups.
The aromas.
Leaves.
My birthday.

What are your favorite things about fall?

GNO @ the Chocolate (aka: The only thing that's getting me through the next two days)

2010-10-06T07:31:00.003-06:00

You going to the Sassies Girl's Night Out tomorrow? It's at THE CHOCOLATE in Orem.

Need I say more?

Yes, I do?

Okay.
There will be TONS of giveaways.

At THE CHOCOLATE.

After the last two craptastic days, this is the only thing that's keeping me going.

So you gonna be there or be square?!

General conference meme

2010-10-04T07:19:00.000-06:00

Steph @ Diapers and Divinity is doing a General Conference Meme and I decided to participate. Feel free to play along!

1. Who were your three favorite speakers? Pres. Uchtdorf, Sister Cook, Elder Scott

2. Favorite talk? Pres. Uchtdorf. And not just because he's the easiest on the eyes. I need to remember to slow down and get back to basics. (Personal prayer and scripture study.)

3. Favorite hymn sung during Conference? Honestly, I paused so many of the talks that I skipped through most of the songs. I always love singing "Redeemer of Israel" because it reminds me of Elder Bednar's "Tender Mercy" talk.

4. Who wore the best tie? There were several striped ties! Did they do that before? Is it just that this is the first time I've paid attention? Somebody had an orange and blue.....who was it?

5. Do you think conference had a “theme”? Agency, prophets, mastering the fundamentals. There was a lot at the end about sin and addiction. Superman tells me that usually priesthood session is all about the evils of pornography, but it wasn't this time. Apparently more than men needed to hear it this time. There was also a lot about the media in our homes.

6. Share a few of your favorite quotes (paraphrasing is fine).

Two from general RS meeting: "Relief Society can replace fear, doubt and selfishness with faith, hope and charity, " Julie B. Beck

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them," Mother Theresa, as quoted by Pres. Monson

We don't need to be perfect; just honest and sincere -- Rosemary M. Wixom

We are responsible for our faith, or lack of faith -- Richard C. Edgely

I don't want to have a brief flirtation with spirituality -- Neil. L. Andersen (Loved his whole talk)

We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become. -- Richard G. Scott

Beware the artificial flies of the counterfeit fisher of men -- M. Russell Ballard (his was great)

"I have miles to go before I sleep and promises to keep," Pres. Monson. He's very poetic.

7. Something that made you smile during conference.

Pres. Uchtdorf's "I know what you're thinking. What does nature have to do with airplanes?" Hilarious!

8. Any evidence that your children paid attention?

The first couple of sessions were rough. Kids whined, didn't do the packet, and ended up just playing outside. Today I looked for bingo cards for them, but realized I was out of printer ink. Sunday morning session was okay -- by the end I had written words and drawn a few weak pictures to start tallying common words. Between sessions, I cut a few pics from the Ensign and Friend, glued them to posters, and had big tally sheets for the kids. It worked really well. They paid attention and repeated all the words they recognized. (Spiderman scored big with the Aaronic Priesthood talk!) I took pretty copious notes through each session, but during the last one they waned as I helped the kids identify words. I'm going to need to go back and study the ones from that session in particular.

Sunday morning The Hulk asked for a piece of candy while Pres. Monson was talking. I told him I'd get one when Pres. Monson was done. He proceeded to throw a fit and spent some time in his room. He calmed down with just a few minutes left, so I summarized Pres. Monson's talk on gratitude. I asked Hulk to tell me something he was grateful for before I got him a piece of candy. He did, and I plan to make that a thing. Saying "thank you" for something before asking for something else. I'll also try to remind them that it's what the prophet said to do.

9. If you had to give a talk in General Conference (don’t faint, this is hypothetical), what do you think you’d speak about?

Something that I have experience in, so............um.........being a faithful musician in the church and accepting every music calling you get. =D Kidding. And no, I don't have a calling (musical or otherwise) yet. I'd want to talk to women about how great they are, or to young mothers. (Talks by Sister Nadauld and Elder Ballard come to mind.)

10. What are some of your post-conference goals?

Daily family scripture study. This isn't a habit for us and it MUST BE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Right now, my goal is to read one verse and briefly discuss it before family prayer in the morning.

I also need to have personal study, but honestly, I haven't thought too much about how to implement that. I should just get up early but the tempation to get back in bed is so strong! I'll have to figure that one out.

Don't see only what is lacking -- be more grateful.

Be more cautious of the media in my home.

So what about you? Any goals in particular? Favorite quotes? Thoughts in general?

a*may*zing wonder woman

I cry the day I take the crib down

This is easier than getting up and retrieving my journal.

Highlights

Spiderman's prayer

Twas the week before Christmas

A Christmas quiz

Random Friday

Just to prove that I do more than reviews...

Blickenstaff's: Give the toys from YOUR childhood to your kids and grandkids

I like Ike's Ice Cream Shop -- they even wear retro hats!

Zion's Mercantile -- like a museum

La Jolla Groves aka Home of the Best Potatoes in the multi-verse

The one where I talk about losing weight

Three for Thursday

Is gambling really all that Wicked?

It's autumn time, it's autumn time.........how does that song go again?

Because Top Ten lists are fun.....

Vegas, Baby! (Said in my best Joey Tribbiani voice)

And a little child shall lead them

Spiderman, Spiderman. Does whatever a six-year-old can.

Do you know what I just LOVE?

Three for Thursday

On being vertically challenged

Three for Thursday

A Tragedy of Errors or A Comedy of Errors?

Three for Thursday

Things that I think are stupid

This kid is a keen one

Make it blue!

Happiness is.....

Things I've learned over the past month

Vegas, Baby!!

Confessions of am Eternal Optimist

Three for Thursday

Three for Thursday

Tuesday Confessional

Three for Thursday

Not-so-Great Expectations

Roll up your pants. We've got high water.

In a nutshell

Trying a little harder to be a little better

Three for Thursday

Beginning is easier than finishing. And I like easy.

Thankful Thursday

Questions for the void

He's gonna make some girl very happy in about 20 years

Random Randomness

I'm not a list maker. Maybe I'd get more done if I were.

Calling all entertainment junkies!!!!!!

RAN to the DOM

Liquidy Fluids

Learning by Immersion

Inquiring minds want to know......

I'm not cool enough to choose a "word" or "theme"

Random Friday

Random Friday

Do you believe in magic?

Family pictures

Spare change

Of cakes and the prayers of a mother

Tuesday Randomness

Dear Peanut Gallery,

100 truths

it's all good

I swear I'm not just telling you about this so I can win something.

Letter from me, 10 years ago

Would you rather...

It's official: I'm in my late 20s

Reality TV in parenting: Hoarders, Supernanny and Rock of Love

Here's where my inner Libra really comes out.

Lucky

My autumn recipe

GNO @ the Chocolate (aka: The only thing that's getting me through the next two days)

General conference meme

amayzing wonder woman