Have a nice TRIP? Gonna come again next FALL?

What is your most embarrassing moment?
Well, I haven't had a whole lot of them. OR I have conveniently forgotten about them all; I only remember a handful of times. Like when I peed my pants in school. I can't even remember how old I was.
Anyway, I had one of those moments today @ church!
I am already a self-conscious person and don't like to be up in front of people.
The YW and their leaders had to get up and sing in Sacrament today. And since I am one of the leaders... (man THAT'S magnifying your calling!)
I don't sing (well) and so I was pretending to sing. :) I was so nervous to be up there in front of people and singing (or should I say mouthing). And the song is such a pretty song that the tears started to come. So I'm up there trying to cover up the fact that I'm crying and not succeeding very well. Imagine my relief when the song comes to an end!
That moment of relief only lasted about 3 seconds! As I walk down the 3 steps leading from the choir seats to the pews I stumble....
and fall!
Not a graceful fall either! A full on sprawl! As I hold on to the railing to help me stand, I look straight into the face of the Stake President. Oh, did I fail to mention that he was there?! Yep, sitting right there on the stand in full view of my crash.
Some of you will understand how much more horrible this situation was with President Brown sitting right there. :)
But the embarrassement didn't die there!
Bishop was the next speaker and got up and said...

"I'd like to thank Sister Little for relieving some of the pressure I feel about having to speak right now."
Yep, he said THAT! Our Bishop - gotta love him - isn't the most subte person. He also likes to tease people! I guess my "situation" was too much for him to pass up. :)
The rest of the day was all down hill! I should have stayed in bed!

My Christmas Message!

Pause my music down below before starting this video.

This was the video that we played Thursday night. Thanks Mela!

You Know You're a Bad Housekeeper When.....

your husband does your job for 4 days and does better than you! :(
I've been doing the Holiday Shop at school for the past 4 days and Bret has been home with Livvy and everyday that I've come home the house has been cleaned and the laundry all washed AND put away! (sigh) Pretty bad huh? Some days it's all I can do to take a shower much less clean a house or do the laundry. I think that he's going to trade me in for a more effective model. :) Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do to show him that I'm worth it to keep around? :)

Well, I was supposed to be at the Holiday Store again today - but last night was real bad and my back is really bad today. I have so much to do for Enrichment today and I don't want to be a painful mess tonight.

On a happy note - I've been released from one of my Callings @ church. Enrichment Leader. I just have tonight and then I'm done with that responsibility. I'm a little worried about how tonight goes. I always am. I really want the women to enjoy themselves. I think the hardest part to Enrichment is worrying about kids. It's hard trying to find someone to work in the Nursery and quite a few of the sisters have to bring their kids. Their husbands either work or have callings and have meetings on Thursday. I remember my old Bishop in the last Ward, he was/is such a wonderful man. Bret was in the Bishopric and I was the Enrichment leader and he made sure to not have any meetings on Enrichment night so that the brethren could be @ home watching the kids. That was such a blessing for me as the Enrichment Leader and as a mom who would have (and at times did) bring her own kids to Nursery.

Well, enough for now. I need to lay down and also get started on Cinnamon rolls for tonight.

ARGH!!!!!

Again, I'm sorry to all my fans out there. :) This time I DO have an excuse for why I haven't posted in a while. I hurt my back! I don't even know how it happened. I woke up last week with a sore back and it got worse and worse until I was laid up in bed and could barely even walk. I"m recovering - slowly. I still ache, but I've got SO much to do this next week. YW stuff, our Christmas Enrichment, and all this week I'm running the PTA Holiday Shop @ the school. Bret has Holiday break at work so he'll be able to watch Livvy for me while I"m at the school.
SOOOOOO, I won't be posting much this week either. I swear - once this week is done, I'll post more again.
Well, I need to get ready for Church.

Ok, lets try this...

I just did up a VERY VERY VERY basic page on PhotoShop (trial version). I don't have a lot of add ons to put on the page, but I thought I'd give it a try. Now lets see if I can post it here on the bloggy.

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry

I am very sorry to all my devoted fans out there (Mom)! I haven't posted in a while. Not many excuses. I haven't been on the computer much at all this week. I've been a little sick and my body aches. It's hard for me to sit at the computer which is making me a little frustrated. I'm wanting to delve into the world of Digital Scrapbooking. If anyone out there has any tips or advice, email me. I'm trying to figure out what sort of software I need for what I want to do. Plus, I have a Mac and there's a lot less choice of stuff out there. I don't want something real complicated. Simple and inexpensive. I enjoy Scrapbooking, but really can't find the time or energy or creativity to do it. Some of my friends have such a talent for it. I get overwhelmed with all aspects of it. So I decided to try the digital way. I LOVE my computer so maybe.....

Other news this week - the kids had Christmas Concerts this week. Eli and Jake had theirs on Tues. evening and they did Wonderfully!!! Jake didn't want to go though. :) He gets a little embarrassed at times.
Elizabeth had hers on Thurs. evening. She also did Wonderfully! They had the school band play too. I'm thinking of letting her learn an instrument next year. I played flute for quite a while and loved it. She loves music and this would be a good way for her to learn something special. I am going to teach her a little piano this year to get her started. We need to tune ours first. And I'm not a piano player much at all. I know music a bit, but struggle with piano. Any advice on how to teach a beginner?! :)

We've been sick around here. Cold, fluish stuff. In fact, we cancelled our Date night tonight cause we don't want Mela, Kyle and kids sick too. They've had enough yuckies in their life!

I'm loving my calling in the YW! I am so happy to be working with the Youth again! I'm also still glad to be Enrichment Leader. It has been fun planning the December (Tis the Reason) Enrichment. I'm even having a special for the Sisters - one of my dearest friends and her sister are coming to sing for us. Sherena has the most beautiful voice! (Shhhh don't tell anyone - I'm jealous) :) But really, I can't wait to see/hear her! The women in our Ward are in for a real suprise!

Well, I must sign off for the night. I wanna work on my Scrapbooking stuff for a few minutes before I get up in pain. Big pain in my buttock region! :) Hey Heidi (and Amie I saw your post) - against the ass....... :)

I Got Tagged!

Thanks to Mela, I got tagged! I actually enjoy these. :)

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friends: Bret, Mom, Jen, Mela, Meagan, Amie B. - I have a lot of special friends in my life (and heart) but these are some of the ones that know me the bestess!
C- Cake or Pie: chocolate cake with buttercream frosting
D- Day of choice: Tues. nights cause Bret works late and I have a little alone time. And then Fridays - Date night (every other one)
E- Essential Item: computer
F- Favorite Color: not orange! i like most other colors for different things.
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: chocolate :)
H- Hometown: none - Military growing up so we lived everywhere
I- Indulgence(s): YEE HAW - MT DEW!! (Livvy says this all the time - its from an OOOOOOOLD commercial)
J- January or July: January in Phoenix, July almost anywhere else :)
K- Kids: Lizzy 9, Eli 8, Jake 6, Livvy 3
L- Life is Incomplete Without: Lots of things! Top of the list - the Gospel
M- Marriage Date: January 11th and its a joke between Bret and I that I always forget it. I have for the past 3 years.
N- Number of Siblings: Mike, Rob, me, Jen, Greg - AKA the Boys, the Girls, and the Greg
O- Oranges or Apples: strawberries
P- Phobias or Fears: death of loved ones (especially Bret and kids)
Q- Quotes: More Than Yesterday, Less Than Tomorrow (this is Bret and mine)
R- Reason To Smile: Lots of reasons: hubby, kids, my family (i always smile with my mom and sister), friends, coupons, Yee Haw Mt. Dew, blogging, crafts, sometimes my callings, RAIN!!!!, a clean house, a good book, chocolate, feeling pretty, losing 3 pounds, impressing Bret (can we say Mouse), helping someone, learning something new, church, sitting on the back patio with Livvy talking my ear off, the 3 older kids singing in their choir and sounding so sweet (this week)
S- Season: I LOVE LOVE LOVE autumn - we don't get much of that here in Phoenix
T- Tag Three: Amie, Jen, Lisa
U- Unknown Fact About Me: there's not much - i'm an open book! :) hurm.........
I loved working at McD's
W- Worst Habit: drinking Yee Haw Mt. Dew and also not exercising
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: what no mammogram?! ha ha ha - ultrasounds!
Y- Your Favorite Food: Mexican!!!!!!! Macayo's or Chipotle
Z- Zodiac: Taurus

Red, Yellow, and Blue....

Do any of you remember the old Primary song, "The Primary Colors?" It goes like this:
The Primary Colors are 1, 2, 3
Red, Yellow, and Blue
Each has a message for you and me
Each has a symbol (?) true.
Red is for courage to do what is right
Yellow's for (something - I can't remember)
Blue is for Purity in thought and deed.
We will be happy for this is our creed.

Remember this? Well, it is the song I've been singing all weekend as I've been doing my laundry. Why, you ask? I can answer that best by changing the words in the Primary song. Here is my version.

Steph's white laundry is 1, 2, 3
Ocre, chartruis, and Pink
Each has a message for you and me
Each is a blunder true!
Ocre's when brown rug is washed with your whites
Chartruis is for bleach that didn't work quite right.
Pink is for dye remover that's making me scared
We will check washers before we put clothes in.

Wow, that was an odd song!
I will explain in more detail. Thursday morning, I put a load of whites into the washer, I didn't get it put into the dryer until the evening. And when I opened that washer and saw that my whites were all yellow (ocre to be more exact) I started to cry (it had been a tough day).
I called a friend who brought me some bleach and let the clothes soak in that overnight. While I poured the bleach into the washer, it started to come out of the bottom of the washer. I'm not sure why and really didn't care at that point. I just wanted to stop the bleach from getting all over the floor and seeping into the carpet a few inches away. I grabbed two towels and later realized that the bleach ate 2 huge holes in the towels.
I'm surprised that our little family didn't die of some sort of gaseous poisening in the night.
Well, the next morning everything was still yellow only more of a chartruis (I know that my spelling is horrible). I had to help set up the Church for a thingy and while I was there a friend told me about the Rit dye having a dye remover. So on my way home I picked some up and threw it in with the clothes (minus the bleach). I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when everything immediately turned pink - some things were even a bright pink. But I let it all soak. I prefer pink over yellow anyway - what could it hurt?!
After a few hours, most everything was white again! YEAH!!! There is a faint pink hint to some things though.

It's amazing how something like laundry that is so miniscule in the grand scheme of things can really affect your moods, emotions, and blood pressure! :)

Check out my Kelly Sweet songs on my Playlist!!!

Lonely

I always feel so lonely after loved ones leave. They joke, "now you can get back to your life" with the attitude that I'll be glad their gone; that having them here was so difficult and cut into my life. I don't think anyone understands just how much I look forward to my time with my loved ones - they ARE my life!!!

My In-Laws were here for Thanksgiving. They flew in Thanksgiving morning and left Monday evening. And we had SO much fun with them. Thanksgiving turned out so Yummy! And Bret and I got to shop Black Friday (is it just me, or does the name of this day sound so naughty?). We LOVE Black Friday and have even been known to take all 4 kids with us - I have great tips for others who have insane ideas of what you'll do for a sale. This year Bret's parents watched the kids for us. HEAVEN!!! Well, heaven for me - not so much for Bret. Who doesn't enjoy the day of all sales accompanied by my sweetie, a Mt. Dew, and a breakfast burrito from McD's?!
We also went to the Swap Meet and played a bunch of games (kids and grown-ups). We had date night with Mom & Dad and generally had lots of fun.

And inevitably it was time for them to leave. And I HATE after the hugs have been given and the bags loaded in the car and Bret drives off with Mom & Dad taking them to the airport. I always look around the house and wonder where the time went. And I also think, "now how many days till they come back?!"
My life is simple and boring. I love it (most days), but it's plain. Its the perks like this weekend that give me something to live for! :) LOL

So yes, now I can get back to my life (big sigh and a little pout). Mom & Dad V. - when you guys coming?! (wink) Just kidding!

I Won, I Won, I Won...

A friend of mine has a blogspot and she'll often have little contests for different gifts. Her latest one was for everyone to post a comment with a song idea for her to do either on piano or guitar (she is amazing at both). And I posted that I thought that she should do the song "Capri" by Colbie Caillat. Well, everyone knows her song "Bubbly", but not many know "Capri"! I'm such a trendsetter - I've had it on my blog for a while (along with another one from Colbie - check it out). Anywho, Amie picked my song!!!
What did I win, you ask?!
A box of Snickers!!!
My question is:
How many Snickers come in a box? Are we talking Costco box? Am I going to share with the kids or do I need to hord it all to myself? HEY!!! Don't even think about that thought that I know you thought!!!! So what if a whole Costco box of Snickers IS enough for me to hord all to myself! :)

I've got a real random mind right now. All sorts of things are bouncing around in there. Like what you ask?!
First of all, I'm trying to think of something funny to put up on my Hubby's Avatar. No, not the Cartoon on TV. It's a Fantasy Football thing. They make these characters and they can even have a little speaking bubble where you write any smack talk you want the others to see. Well, I HATE fantasy football, SOOO to have a little fun I log into my Hubby's account and put odd things into his little bubble. Last week (or the week before) I put, "I have a man crush on Ernie. Look at me, I wanna be just like him." Ernie is my Dad. :) My little bit of fun I guess.

Second, I'm wondering if I should go grocery shopping tomorrow or clean the house. I WANT to go grocery shopping, but I think that if I let Bret live in this Demolition zone another day I might cease to be married. I know that you guys are having one of two thoughts right now (or both):
1. Make Hubby get up and clean the house if it bugs him that much.
2. You like my reference to my earlier post - Demolition. :)
Just to humor you, here is what I would say to either thought:
1. Bret really DID tell me a few minutes ago that I should go shopping and that he'd help me clean up after work tomorrow. He is a good man! :) I just had to make it seem more dramatic than it really is. I had to pretend that I actually like a clean house when I really don't care. I'm going shopping anyway and MAYBE I will get to the cleaning later. :)
2. Did you really pick up on the use of Demolition?! :)

Third, I miss my Sister. We get along so well. It didn't always used to be that way - teens! I've tried to tell her all her life how completely awesome I am and so wise and all-powerful. I'm the big sis and of course as a big sis, i was so cool and fun and exciting. I guess she has finally come to terms with that concept. So now we have so much fun talking - I wish she lived close. She has a freaky son like me and an animal daughter like me (I have 2 extra kids to throw into the mix). But the best thing about my sister is....
She loves me unconditionally! I don't have to be anything but me. I can go off about annoying issues (or people) in my life and she doesn't care. We have the same background - being born of goodly parents. And she knows my stupid quirks and doesn't care. She even thinks I'm funny! [big grin] don't tell her any different ok?!

[sigh] My silly random mind has calmed down for the night with that last thought. Jen, call me tomorrow - mabye I'll tell you what I got shopping! [hug]

Demolition Derby

Last night we went to our first ever Demolition Derby. We have some friends who drove a car in it.
The kids were SO excited to go once I explained that a Demolition Derby was a bunch of Junk cars crashing into each other. And man was it fun!!!
We watched Lawnmower Races, Rototiller Races and the Derby.
Here are some pics.

My New Fav

Sorry for all the YouTube posts, but this guy is really amazing! He is a cell phone salesman! His story is touching!

Funny for the Day

I LOVE this guy!!! My favorite is the Hedge of Protection!!!

This one's for Raphael!!!

Paige, I got your picture in the mail yesterday!!! It is VERY cool! Was that you fighting with your sword?
Livvy LOVED her puppy and kitty stickers. She was SO excited to have them and she kept staring at them and carried them around the house all evening. She even put one of the puppy stickers on her cheek! :)
Thank you for my picture Paige - I love you!
Aunt Stephanie

My Metro Boys

It's official - my two boys have gone Metrosexual! NOT to be confused with any other "sexual." Metrosexual just means a guy that makes himself "pretty." You know - the guys who gel their hair and use men's moisturizer and stuff like that.
Let me explain...

This morning Jake takes a bath and when he gets out he starts to experiment with his hair. I watched as he spiked the top and turned his head sideways to get a better look. And then, get this, he smiled!!! He actually smiled cause he liked how it looked. I knew from that instant on that we would be needing to "do" his hair every day.
I kissed his cheek and said, "You want me put some stuff in your hair so that it'll stay like that?"
You would have thought I asked him if he wanted to go get an ice cream at McD's. And I kindof wish that I had - he's getting so big and grown up. I'm not sure if I'm ready for him to be a big boy who gels his hair, sprays on the cologne (or Axe - the teens use this stuff) and heads out the door with my car keys in hand! :(

So today he has spikey hair!

Eli got in on the act too. Once he saw Jakes hair he asked for "stuff" in his hair too. He didn't look as good with the spikey on top. I wasn't sure what to do. And he took over.
"Mom, like this... Just spikey in the front - not on the top."
That looked real good on him. Especially since he has this little cowlick in the front that creates a flippyspikeythingy.

I'll take pictures tomorrow before school. I'm afraid that I won't be able to after school today because it will all be flat. They couldn't keep their little hands off their hair once the gel dried. It was that crunchy cool feeling.

Now, I'm going to say something else that I know I'll have to eat later but that's ok.
As my boys are getting bigger and stepping into that independant world trying to find their good-looking way in it, I will NEVER let them wear their hair in funky trendy styles. I saw one of the YM in our Ward who had a huge fro - and he wasn't of the African ethnicity either. Not that fros really look good on ANY ethnicity! And I decided then and there that my boys will never be allowed to look like a freak!!! Or my girls for that matter! NO gold shirts for them! (Don't ask)

Yes, I realize that I will eat those words later. I'll probably have them crammed down my throat even, but a Mom can have goals can't she?! :)

Well, I have dilly-dallied long enough. I have company coming tonight (wear your jammies Haylie) and although I already warned her that the house would probably be a mess, I'm still going to try to get it clean. The sad thing is that I'll clean and clean and it will still be the mess that I promised! :)

Down in the Dumps

For some odd reason, I'm down in the dumps today. I have NO motivation and I feel really weepy. On the verge of tears all day. I decided to be kind to me today. I've been taking it easy and doing things that I want to do today. I'm still trying to be productive.
This morning I got Sunday's coupons collated and stapled. I went through a few of the ads. I tied up our vines to the pergola so that they wrap around the posts. I clipped some bushes in the front yard and watered the grass (old fashioned style - sprinkler system is still down). I also worked on the kids' blocks. We have some old pieces of wood that I'm sanding down to make blocks for them to play with outside.
So, I've still been busy.
I should be taking a shower and getting ready to pick up the kids from school right now, BUT.....

Tonight is a busy night for us. Eli has Scouts, Elizabeth has a big Achievments Day activity, and I have YW. I sure hope I find the motivation to get things done that I need to for these things! :)

For My Mom

This song makes me think of you. I have it below on my music if you wanna listen to it.

In My Daughter's Eyes

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daugter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes

I know that it's a mom singing about her daughter, but as it reminds me of my own daughters, I better understand you! :)
Yes, I am grown and raising a family; and you really are here - in my eyes & MY HEART!
I love you!

Recently...

I had a sad situation that really made me think about my kids. I'm not going to go into the situation, but I'd like to share my resulting thoughts.
You know those moments when you stop and wonder what your kids feel and think? I've been wondering what my kids think of how I feel about them. They know I love them, Mom's are supposed to. But do they really think that I enjoy, cherish, and value them - as people?! Yes, they are still small, but if I don't value them now will I later when they are older? Do I show them my joy in who they are? And the sad truth is, not really. Not as much as I'd like them to.
I want them to walk out the door each day and understand how much fun I have with them or how much I wish to be near them! I don't want to push them aside for my own enjoyment - my own wants. Yes, it's important to have some time for myself or my hubby or my friends, but I NEVER want them to feel pushed aside.
My babies are funny, sweet, obedient, loving, and enjoyable! And if they know that Mom thinks so then maybe, just maybe as they go through the yucky things of this world, they'll be able to hold their heads up and be content with who they are.

So, there are some of my deep thoughts. Maybe occasionally you all can remind me of my vow to my "little" ones! :)

The Gang

We went Trick-or-Treating @ my brother, Greg's, house. His 2 girls and my 4 kids always have SO much fun together. And Bret and I Love being with Greg and Jackie. I am blessed to have them semi-close to us. Queen Creek is about as far from our side of the Valley as you can get, but at least we are in the same state (unless you ask my brother who feels that driving to our house is the same as driving to LA). Anyway, here are pics from last night.

Left-Right:
Back Row: Jake (Ninja), Elizabeth (Ghost Bride), Elijah (Ninja), Ella (Pig), Shaylee (Vampire)
Front: Livvy (Jaguar)

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
GOD forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
[these lyrics are found on http://www.songlyrics.com]
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone.)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

Dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance..
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone)


*song is on my music down below!

I Hope You Dance....

This morning Livvy and I took the kids to school and dropped off a bunch of stuff for their class parties and as we walked down the halls she skip/kick/danced in front of me. She skips, but when she goes onto her right foot, she kicks her left out. And while she is doing this, she moves her arms with her fingertips touching in front of her and moving both arms out like a ballet dance move.

We stopped at Fry's to grab a couple of things and she was bouncing around on her tiptoes. I asked her if she had to go to the bathroom and she said no. When I asked her why she was dancing around she said,
"Because there is music on."
But of course! :)

Wouldn't it be nice to skip/kick/dance everywhere and dance when there is music on?! AND look dang cute while doing it! :)

So just for today, I hope you dance.......

My New Calling

Well, I have finally been released as the Enrichment Leader. I just couldn't seem to escape that calling! :)
I was asked to be the Young Women's Secretary!! I'm very excited! I LOVE LOVE LOVE working with the Young Women. It'll be tough cause I'll need to go to YW on Wed. nights and Bret has Scouts and YM to go to on Wed. I guess we'll have to divide and conquer. :)

The Bread

The Double Fiber bread I talked about in an earlier post is made by Orowheat. Try it - it's Yummy!

Trunk or Treat

Well, last night was the Churchs' Trunk or Treat. There was a dinner, some games, and Trick-or-Treating from the car trunks. The kids had lots of fun. Here is a picture of the kiddos:


We had a Ghost Bride, 2 Ninjas, and One Pink Jaguar (really a leopard, but she wanted to call herself a Jaguar)

I was proud of myself because Friday night Livvy broke her headband that had her ears on it. I couldn't glue it, so instead I thought of a most ingenious plan! I took a sewing needle and thread and sewed her ears to her hair. I even added a few pokes to the head for breaking her headband. :( Seriously, no - I didn't!

Congrats Blake!!!!!

Congrat's on finishing school! I know it took forever, but it is finally done!! And we think you're pretty special so we dedicate this post to you:

Awesome Graphics at pYzam.com

OH JEN, I'M SOOOO NOT HAPPY WITH YOU! :)

You cursed me! I'm sitting here at the computer adding pictures to the other post and I hear this knocking on the wall. I go into Livvy's room about ready to scream at her cause she is supposed to be taking a nap. And she is asleep. What is that noise?!

(lightbulb moment) A Woodpecker?!

I go out the backyard and a bird flys away from that area of the house where the knocking was. Yep, darn stinkin woodpecker!! You cursed me!
By the way, did you ever find out if a woodpecker means termites? (weak smile)

Another thing - I have more to post about lunch with Jake. But I have a real nice veggie sandwich in front of me and a very thick book calling my name! See Mom, I am so much like you! :) I'll post later.
By the way again, you gotta try this bread - Double Fiber. I think Aunt Hattie or something like that makes it. I LOVE it!! And it has 6 grams of fiber per slice! Very healthy!

What are your plans for today?

Mine are pretty simple. I have been doing laundry this morning and getting my shopping list ready for Walgreens. I need to go and get a few things before the Rebate cut-off date.
I am also taking Livvy and going to lunch with Jakie today @ school. He has been so excited for this for over a week! It all started when the week before last week he wanted to buy his lunch at school. But I wanted to make sure that he knew how to do it and I couldn't go with him that particular day to walk him through it. Yes, I know - overprotective. But I just have this fear that my kids won't get their food! :) Maybe it's some deep rooted concern of my own! :) Besides they only get 2.2 seconds to eat their food so they have to hurry.
Anywhooo, I told him that after Fall Break I'd go to lunch with him and he can buy his lunch. He chose to do it on Chicken Nugget Day. He is so excited and has been counting down. He even told his teacher about it! :)
I had to laugh because he has been having "tummy aches" at school - AKA "missmymommy aches" - the past few days. I'm friends with the nurse and was talking to her about it yesterday. I mentioned that she would definetly NOT see Jake today. He is having Mommy come for Chicken Nugget Lunch! :)

On another cute note, Livvy sure is dang funny! When we take the kids to school in the morning, we listen to Classical music. (Mom, I'm so AMAZING now!) I swear it calms the kids down and me too. Plus, I've learned that if you blare it real loud just before you pull up to drop the kids, the teachers out front and all the other parents dropping their kids off think you are one of those moms! The kind that plays classical music, your kids are super smart, and your life is at such a higher level than the others. Wait, that IS me!!! ROFL!!
Ok, back to the point - on the way home from dropping the big kids off, Livvy says to me, "This is the happy song!" And she danced her arms around to the "happy" music. Then she verbally discusses the "happy" song to Robin and Sonic. I guess they like happy songs too.

Now this gets me thinking - you all probably think that I don't think my other kids are very cute. :) They actually aren't - not in the way Livvy is. But then again, they are 9, 8, and 6. You tend to lose the cute factor at about 5. BUT (there's always a big butt) they have their own amazing traits! When they were Livvy's age, they were just as cute as she is. Only back then I didn't have a blog to discuss their cuteness. Although I DID have a journal that I made for each of them where I wrote down cute, funny things that they did. Or sweet moments in their lives.
So, Livvy is cute! But so was Elizabeth, Elijah, and Jake! And they are all Amazingly, Wonderfully, Glorious "Little" (snicker) kids! And they always will be - "Little" that is (big snicker) - no, seriously; amazingly, wonderfully, glorious.

On a side note, how many of you had the image in your head of me and the 4 freaks in our gray, beat up minivan (oh and we have a vinyl sticker on the back with our family in stick figures - even Dozer which is larger than all of us - seriously, we do). And our Classical music blaring and our hydrolic lift system hooked up so that the van is bouncing up and down. We put those teenage kids (I had to edit myself here - my blog IS public after all) to shame with our getto set up! :)

I'M SO PROUD!!!!!

Today was Awards @ the kids' school. Elijah and Elizabeth both got awards.

Elizabeth got an award for being on the President's List and also an award for Student of the Quarter! The P.E. teacher told me that she was getting one in PE too, but that he could only choose one child.


This is her with her teacher and the Vice Principle.




Elijah got an award for being a Student of Character!


Here is Eli getting his Award


Like the wierd smile?!

I am SO very proud of all 3 of my school kids! During the Award Ceremony I whistled and whooped! Sure, I probably made a scene but do I care - Nope! I told myself that I'll be a loud supporter up until they are too embarrassed to have me around. Then I'll tone it down a bit. But just a bit! :)
I love my kids and want them to know how proud I am of them. So I'll whistle and hollar till my face turns blue and I'll be so excited to see them do well.

So my feathers are all puffed up! Wouldn't you be with kids like this?! :)

That's Too Girly Girl!

Well, I finally got a little bit of time to go shopping. I had a few deals to take care of and some costumes to get. Livvy and I were looking through all the costumes at WalMart and I'd ask her if she wanted to be such and such; things like and angel or a princess. Her response was, "No, that's too girly girl."

What does she want to be for Halloween you ask? Sonic, the Hedgehog or Robin, the Superhero. We couldn't find either. We saw a Robin, but it was for a baby. We ended up getting her a pink leopard costume. She likes the tail and the ears.
"Mommy, I'm going to call it a Jaguar."
And I'm ok with that because her little mouth is SO cute when she says Jaguar!

Lizzy wants to be a Corpse Bride and I'm not sure about Jake. Elijah is easy though. He saw his old costume from last year (Flame from Fantastic Four) and has decided he wants to be that. Ok, I can handle that! :)

I do need to make sure that their costumes are ready to go because we are having a Church party on Saturday. The kids are SOOOOOOO excited!!!! They'll get to do a Trunk-or-Treat and play fun little games. Bret and I don't really dress up. But we might decorate the van for the Trunk-or-Treat.

-----sigh------

Super Saturday is done! We did over $1000 worth of stuff. And it was a lot of fun. I was busy all over the place on Saturday and didn't get to do any of the crafts I got. But I really didn't plan on doing anything anyway.
The kids are back to school today. I feel cheated though. I really wanted Fall Break with the kids to be fun and to do lots of stuff together. It actually turned out to be a boring week for them. I was so busy with getting things ready for Super Saturday that they didn't get to do many fun things. I'm a little depressed today about it.
BUT there is a sense of peace around the house that things are back to normal! Bret went into work for a few hours today too. So right now Livvy is asleep and the house is quiet! I really want to take a nap, but there are other things I want to do too. I really want to get all the stuff from SS put away so I can have my craft room back and then I can do the crafts I didn't get to do on Saturday.
You know, I have always wondered why women need to do crafts. Sure, men have things they enjoy, but it really is the women who need to do things creatively.
Saturday morning when I went to set up for all the crafts we were going to do, there were a bunch of men in the cultural hall playing basketball. I told them that we were going to be setting up in there for Super Saturday and they could use half of the room for their basketball for a little while. They were cool and there wasn't any confrontation (which is good, because I had my shovel tucked in the back of the van for purposes such as this). But while we were setting up, I was real selfconcious. I felt like the men were thinking, "Another crafty women day!" (exasperatedly thinking). And I wondered for a few minutes about why we need this outlet to make pretty things. Even today I feel that itchy "don'twannadoanythingelsebutbecreative" feeling. Even this simple blog is a way for me to be creative. Why do we NEED this?!
And then my thoughts turned more sinister! Men need things too.....

I have to inject here - I swear I just heard a chorus of "FOOTBALL!!!" (exasperated)

Right now my man needs Football and Katan. Those are 2 of his releases and they drive me CRAZY!!!!! I know its silly that it annoys me. (I had to put that last sentence in there - Bret reads my blog too). LOL!
But honestly, in my mindless wanderings of my mind I realized that there are things that we all need that others just don't understand. And its ok!
So Bret, thanks for watching the kids all day Saturday so I could help other women "get their jollies" so to speak. And I'll try real hard to turn the other cheek when Sunday morning, afternoon, and evening games come on. Oh, and Monday night too.

(is it just me or does that seem a little unbalanced?) Just kidding, Dear Hubby! :)

Look At The Beautiful Nature!

There were 2 things that I made a top priority in the hecticness that is my life this week.

1. Take the kids to a park that they love - Sahuaro Ranch Park.
2. Date with DH.

The date is tomorrow and I can't wait - it's been a few weeks!
The park - we went this evening. And the kids had a lot of fun! It's a little bit of a drive from us, but so worth it! We pulled up and piled out of the van. I grabbed the stroller and Livvy stretches her arms out and says, "Look at the beautiful Nature!" I didn't have the heart to point out that we were still in the parking lot and not actually in nature. :)
The kids followed the roosters and everytime one crowed, Livvy got excited and skipped around. We fed the rabbits and even got close enough to pet one. I was secretly proud of my little spazes. I saw other kids chasing the rabbits to try to touch them and ended up scaring them away. My tykes were quiet and bent down and so tender. The rabbits weren't scared and would eat our bread and let the kids touch them.

Livvy danced everywhere. Lizzy discussed the things that had changed since last time we were there. Jake walked around picking up anything that looked interesting. And Eli read every sign aloud to us. I just smiled and enjoyed it all. It was nice to not have to worry about keeping my kids in line - they were free to be free. :)

Mommy, I can't remember what we used to do together!

Jake has had a hard time adjusting to being away from Mom all day. Heck, I'm having a hard time with him being gone all day too! The other day he turns to me and says (very sad), "Mommy, I can't remember what we used to do together!" My heart broke! SOOOO...

Jakie, this is what we used to do:

Livvy and I would take you to school with the big kids and drop you off right in front of the Kindergarten playground. You'd hug and kiss me and walk toward the gate. You always turned to give me one last look. And I always felt a tug on my heart.

Then 2 hours later I'd be waiting in the van to pick you up. On Wednesday's Daddy, Livvy and I would park the car by Frys and walk over to the school. Then we would all walk back to the car. I loved watching you walk kicking rocks, balancing on the sidewalk edge or picking up anything interesting along the way - which was often because we walked right by construction and you LOVED nuts and bolts and stuff.

Then we'd go home and have lunch. I'd fix you lunches like the big kids. You LOVED bologna with mayo! That was odd - no one likes bologna with mayo! :) You'd have chips, capri-sun, and fruit snacks too.

After lunch I'd put Livvy down for a nap and that was our special time! Sometimes you would grab some toys and sit and talk to me. But most often we'd sit and cuddle on the couch upstairs watching Tom & Jerry. If you were sleepy, you'd nap. If I was sleepy, I'd nap too! :) I loved having you cuddle up against my legs - until you started to get too wiggly! :)
After Tom & Jerry, we'd get Pivvy up and leave early to get the big kids. Then we'd wait in the car line watching movies and talking about dumpsters, hummers, and Buzz Lightyear.

We had a fun time together! We both miss those times; but don't worry about forgetting, cause I'll remember for us both.

Parent - Teacher Conferences

Ok, so today was the day! The day where a parent finds out what is REALLY going on in school. And all was great!

I learned that Elijah needs to work on his writing and comprehending. He is in 3rd grade and reads at a 4th grade level but writes a lot lower. And he behaves very well in class.

Elizabeth is doing excellent. She is top of her class in all areas. That doesn't mean as much to me as what else her teacher had to say:
That she is such a joy and a real leader. She is helpful with other kids and he can put her with anyone to help them. Everyone in class likes to work with her. She is trustworthy and behaves wonderfully. I even asked if she talks too much. Surprisingly the answer was no!
I think her teacher is guinely (how do you spell that stinkin word?) happy to have her in his class.

Jacob is also doing wonderful. He's come a long way. At the beginning of the year he just wanted to stay home with mom. But now he loves school and his teacher. His work has improved tons too.

So that went well! :) I'm proud of my Monkies!

On other tidbits, things are well for me. I'm glad the Book Fair is done. I'm really enjoying the PTA though. We had another meeting last night. Lots of fun things coming up to raise more money. Anyone wanna buy a Discount Card? :) There are some other activites coming up for just fun too.

I'm off soda for 2 days now! I actually started (again) on Sunday. But then we went to my brothers house on Monday and that is always a junk food and game frenzy. So I toppled off the wagon - willingly! :) I actually drank so much soda that I was nauseous that night driving home. Kindof cured me for the next day. Soda just doesn't sound good.
It's also been dry here so I'm more dehydrated so all I really want is water.

I have that stinkin Super Saturday coming fast! Still not finding the motivation to do things.

I had a good day shopping after a few weeks of putting that on the back burner. For those of you that don't know, I LOVE LOVE LOVE coupons!! I save generally 70% on groceries.
This is what I got on Tuesday at Basha's and Albertsons:
4 Eggo Waffles
8 personal sized Blue Bunny Ice Creams
30 boxes of Quaker items (granola bars, breakfast bars, and YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY oatmeal!)
1 gallon of milk
2 smart waters
6 24 oz jars of La Victoria salsa
tiny bag of apples (Livvy's snack)
2 bags of quacamole

total = $165
I paid = $15
not too shabby! :)

Other than all that stuff, there isn't much going on right now. Sorry for the boring update!

BE the PERFECT you!

How did you read the title for this post? Did you read it BE PERFECT? If so, look again. Because this is my thoughts, feelings, ramblings for today.

Be the Perfect YOU!!

I have been blessed in my life to have friends from every walk of life. I have seen the wide spectrum of personalities and there is one underlying concept I noticed with each one. They were trying so hard to be perfect. And I got to thinking - perfection is a tricky concept. It's dependant on what YOU think is perfect. Some women's idea of perfect children are kids who run around carefree "expressing" themselves all over the place. But to me, that's chaos. Perfect children to me are the ones that sit perfectly still (there's that word again) and are quite! :)

So "perfect" is an opinion based word. Then it goes to reason, if I'm trying so hard to be perfect, WHO'S perfect should I try to be? My mom's? Sorry, she really is perfect and I just can't be like her - I've tried. :) Or are we trying to be our best friends perfect? How about the very cute mom that you see walking her kids to and from school (by the way, I met her yesterday at the Book Fair)? What about the sweet old lady at church who gives you funny looks when your kids act up?

OR what about that image in your head? You know, the one who wears cute, trendy, clean clothes; who has a clean and nicely decorated house; the kids are spiritual and kind and bordering on genius. The lady you WANT to be! And if you look closely at her, you'll see that she is perfect in all the areas you aren't. AHHA! That's the key!

Why can't we be content with who we are? Honestly; it's natural to aspire to be better. And it's a good and necessary desire. BUT there are other desires that warp our view. To compare ourselves to others and go over the top. Trying to be better along with those other desires makes it a compulsion to look good in others' eyes.

We are who we are for a reason! And we really can't go back and change who we are either. Wouldn't that be nice?! I'd go back to the perfect body! :) It's important for you to look to your strengths and focus on your weaknesses little by little.

"I have a friend" :) who struggles with feeling like a bad mom. I have to take the time sometimes and put my arms around me (oops, I mean HER) and remember why I am a good mom - for MY kids! No one else could raise them the way they need to. No one else could give them the learning that THEY need in life. I feel very strongly that in their lives, they will need the skills that I can teach them. For example, I love people - I really do! My kids are learning that (hopefull) and will need that in their lives. So God gave me children that would need my strengths. And if we truly were Perfect moms, our children will resent us (more than they will anyway). Could you imagine being the child to a perfect mom! Oh Heavens, someone send in the shrink! How many years of counseling will THAT be?!

And while we realize how important our strengths are, we still need to work on our shortcomings!!! I don't agree with the mentality, "that's just who I am." Because although it IS who you are, you still need to work on who you are.

Lastly, we need to support and love each other. Sometimes we need to take a break from those that hurt or harm us. But never look down on someone who is different. You'll never know if they are the ones to help you in your quest to be the perfect you!

I'm doing quite well, considering...

Ok, so another day at the Book Fair. I drop Livvy off at Mela's and head to school. And one of the ladies isn't coming in today - sick. I totally understand, but let me give you a little more info so you'll see the whole picture.

There are only 3 women who are allowed to ring things up on the register. Myself, Wendy (who works at the school), and Valerie (the school Nurse - who needs to be available in case of sick/hurt kiddos). We have other women occasionally to help out, but they cannot run the register.

So Wendy is sick and it's just me and Valerie who can deal with the money and Valerie isn't always there.
Well, around 1pm, Miss Rock (Jake's amazing teacher) comes into the Book Fair with little dude and says, "I think Jake threw up at recess."
"Threw up?!" I ask.
"Yeah, they came in from recess and the other kids were saying, 'Jake threw up. Jake threw up.' " (By the way, how the heck do you use quotes in quotes? Can't remember that from school. I apologize if it is incorrect. But don't worry about correcting me - I really don't care.)
My thought was too much running on a hot day = barf. So I kiss his head, ready to send him back to class and he is burning up. I lean over to Valerie, school nurse, and say, "you wanna run him to your office and check his temp?"

It was 102. Kid is sick. I gave him medicine and he just sat with me at the Book Fair reading all the books. I really couldn't leave - me being one of 2 money people and the 2nd one being the nurse.

So, school gets out and I'm ready to leave and go get my little Liv and suddenly a wave of arms and legs and bodies come through the doors. I guess all the parents who pick up their kids decided to come into the Book Fair. And all the obnoxious 7th graders too. I had some trying to steal things but I got out my shovel and stood right by them the whole time.

An hour and a half later I finally walk out the door with my 3 big ones in tow. We go and get Livvy and I feel so bad for having Mela watch her all day.

We are home now. Jake's medicine is wearing off and his fever is coming out again. Livvy's tummy is upset and it looks like I won't be going to Book Fair tomorrow a.m.
Bret gets home around noon tomorrow, so I'll head on over after that.

And I swear if I hear one more time tonight, "How much does this cost?" I think I'll curl into fetal position, rocking back and forth, "No more books! No more books! No more books!" I might even have to develop some split personalities to help protect myself from emotional scarring! Everyone, meet Tawanda! :)

I'm Mush!

No, not mushy. Although I am that too - it's just not what I'm talking about right now.

Before I was married I worked and worked and worked! Some jobs were 12 hour days of intense physical labor. Sometimes I even had 3 jobs at once. But the past few days I've been doing the Book Fair and I'm POOPED!! It's not even the end of the week and I'm tired!
So yes, I'm Mush. I guess the expansion of my middle region should have been a big indicator. :)

Aside from being exhausted, it's been fun! The kids have LOVED me being at school. And I enjoy seeing them too. They are not worried about hugging me or even kissing me in public - for now. The room where the Book Fair is is down by the Art room and Music room and the kids come in the door down the hall after lunch and recess. So every time I saw them coming, I'd get up and go into the hall and hug my kiddos.
I've missed my Baby though. My SWEET, SWEET, SWEET friend Mela had her all day. And when I picked her up I was so excited to see her. It's really important to have someone watching your child who you trust totally and completely. That is a big reason why I appreciate Mela. I know that I NEVER have to worry about my children at all. Thank you Mela! :)

Today is my "day off" and I have a TON of stuff I need/want to do. I need to clean the bathrooms and laundry. I need to go grocery shopping (which means clipping coupons). I WANT to sit and veg, cuddling Livvy and maybe even a nap. Please give me the strenght to actually do what I NEED to do!

This morning is Walk To School day. It's the first year that AZ is participating and it's only a few schools doing it. Ours is one. So guess what we are doing this a.m.? Yep, walking to school which is a pain in the butt because we live to far to walk. So we are driving part of the way there, parking, and walking the rest. :) But my kids begged for us to do this and I said yes. Somebody smack me in the head please.

Well, I need to go and get the kiddos ready for school. Have a great day everyone!

Elijah & Scouts

Elijah has been in Scouts for about a month now - he LOVES it!!!
This past Wed. he had his first Pack Meeting and received his Bear Award. We are so proud of him. I'm also proud of Bret because he has been working so much with Eli! :)

When we first got to Pack Meeting they weren't quite ready yet and Elijah turns to me and says, "Mom, can I go and play with my Scout friends?" That was just so great for me. Elijah hasn't always been so social. I guess he's coming out of his shell now.

Here are some pictures of that night:

This is Sonic!!

Just so you all know - this is Livvy!!! She is constantly telling me, "No Mommy, I'm Sonic."

9 Yrs Old Again...

Elizabeth went to a Birthday Party yesterday at Peter Piper Pizza. I went and sat in a booth a little ways away so that I could keep an eye on her but let her have her space with her friends. As I sat and watched (its so fun to watch kids) I noticed that this was a group of friends that she didn't know really well at school. I could tell that she was a little nervous and excited to be there. I'm glad I stayed, she seemed to need that little feeling of support from my corner of the restaurant. But I was transported back in time.
I watched the kids interact and I could feel everything she was feeling. Hoping to fit in, being a little nervous, and watching everything - Elizabeth's a watcher. And as I watched her and felt all those feelings again, I started to wish.

My wishes for Elizabeth:
I wish that you can truly love others. Not to condemn or criticize them. But to truly love them.
I wish that along with an open heart you will have open eyes. Love others, but don't let them lead you.
I wish that you will love yourself and your Heavenly Father above all others.
I wish that you will learn how to treat others - respect and understanding. My favorite quote of all time is:
They won't care how much you know until they know how much you care!

People really don't care what you look like or how smart you are - most people don't. We all need to feel special to others and even if we are dorky they'll still see the good in us. Because I'll tell you - there is a little bit or dork in all of us. There's a little bit of mean, grumpy, anger, frustration, and crazy in all of us. :)

Cowboy Boots, Puddles, and Chatty Kathy

Yesterday morning, after taking the big kids to school, Livvy and I worked in the backyard. She was still in her Jammies and wanted to "help" me. Which means that I've got a 3 year old dancing around singing; insisting I call her Sonic (you know - the Hedgehog); and giving a run-by-run commentary of everything that is going on, could be going on, and might someday go on!

Well, I had to water the lawn "old fashioned" style because our sprinkler system has been on the fritz for a few weeks and the grass is dying and my DH is just too busy to really fix anything right now....
My sweet little "helper" informed me that she needed shoes. I told her "no, just stay on the patio" and she tells me "I'll just wear my cowboy boots, that'll be ok." Of course, she had the innocent smile on her face that will make me sway to her way of thinking (not really) and she ran off to grab her cowboy boots. Because you know, she's Sonic and her cowboy boots make her go sonic fast; cowboy boots and super milk.

She comes back downstairs with her cowboy boots, and a big grin. "Pick your battles" I tell myself and let her on out with me.

"Mommy, Sonic thinks jumping in puddles is fun!" She tells me.

"Uh huh." No, wait! Jump? Puddles? I turn around just in time to see her smile at me and glance at the big puddle created by the "old fashioned" sprinkling system.

"Pick your battles" I tell myself. I was going to give her a bath after working outside anyway. "OH, OK!!"

"YEAH!!!" and in she jumps.

The rest of the morning was fun for both of us!! She talked my ear off. I was willing to listen. She jumped in puddles. I did too! :)
"Pick your battles" I tell myself - sometimes they become your Victories!

They're STACKERS, not Stickers....

Have you seen the commercial for the Fruit Roll-Up Stackers? Well, my kids have. I'd like to say they've only seen it once or twice, but truthfully - they see it OFTEN.

Anyway, Livvy had these for lunch the other day and I looked up and saw this! She smiles at me and says,
"They're Stackers, NOT Stickers!"
I laughed my butt off!

How can you not love this child??!!!

Procrastination

Ok, so I have a lot of things I should be doing right now:

sand and paint 6 little blocks
sand and paint a piece of crown molding
type up and print sign up sheets for these craft projects
put together a coaster, picture thingy kit
gather all this stuff together in a basket, ready to go for Sunday
clean my kitchen, upstairs living room, dining room
laundry put away
peaches cut-up
peaches pureed
peaches canned
fix dinner
clean the bathrooms
vacuum the stairs

What am I doing? NOT any of that! I'm posting on my blog. :) And I think about what I've been doing today and NONE of it is anything I SHOULD be doing. So, what have I been doing?!

I took Elizabeth's lunch to her because she left it in the car. I picked up my peaches. And then I went to the grocery store. Now THAT was the highlight of my day! Seriously, it was. I got 8 boxes of Post Frosted Shredded Wheat for $5. :) My coupon addiction kicked in today and I just HAD to stop to get this good deal on cereal. I'll go back tomorrow or Monday and get 4 boxes for $1. I just realized that this is a deal I can share with you Arizonans. So here it is!

At Fry's, they have some Post cereals on sale, 4 for $8. When you buy 4 boxes you get $4 off your order when you check out (with your card). So that's 4 boxes for $4. A good deal! BUT it gets better - you know those coupons that print out along with your reciept? Those are called Catalina's (coupon fact for you) and when you buy certain Post cereals right now, a Catalina prints out for $ off your next order.
So go to Fry's and grab either 4 boxes or Post Shredded Wheat or Raising Bran (or a comb. of the 2) and use your VIP card to check out. You'll pay a little over $4 for this order AND get a coupon for $3 off your next order (you use it almost like money on your next order at Fry's - its good for anything). Then you can just keep buying 4 more boxes of those cereals and pay only a little over $1 after you give them your Catalina coupon from before. Another Catalina will print out and you can go and get more cereal. It's a vicious cycle! :)
This deal ends Tues. so go as often as you like! But make sure to only get 4 cereals per transaction. If you have any further questions, email me!
By the way, this same deal is going on in Utah at Smith's (same as Fry's). I'm not 100% sure if the Catalina prints out, but it should.

After my shopping expedition I took Livvy home for lunch and nap. While she napped, I had a few phone calls to take care of and next thing I knew I was picking up the kids at school. And that's about all - up until now.

I really should go and do something that I should do. :) That's a funny sentence!

Follow-Up

Well, the PTA meeting went well. It was sad though - there weren't many parents there and only one or two would volunteer to do anything. They have all this money to raise because they are a new school and no one is helping out. I pipped up a few times and think I did pretty well. I just asked a couple of questions - no shirt needed (see prior post).

I just read that last sentence, and realized how it sounded - no shirt needed?! What kind of PTA are they running out here?! :) I meant from my prior post when I said that I needed a shirt with some saying on it to warn people of my mouth condition. LOL

Anywho.....
I was sitting with a couple of the teachers I have gotten close to and we were all talking, having fun before the meeting started. I was getting comfortable and thinking, "OK, maybe my mouth won't be such a problem. I feel relaxed and calm now."

The only thing that happened was that I made a couple of comments to the table I was sitting with (my teacher friends), thinking that only they would hear and right when I started to speak the whole room got quiet so that my comments were heard by all.

For example, the PTA board was asking everyone when was a good time to schedule the PTA meetings. I asked them about being able to bring kids to the meetings if we kept them quiet; I had always heard that you could bring your kids if you need to. They responded that they will have babysitting on the PTA nights for those who have to bring their kids. I turned to my table and said,
"Well, in that case - I'm up for a weekend 'meeting' in Vegas!"
The whole room roared with laughter. By whole room I mean maybe 20ish people so it wasn't as embarrasing as it could have been. :)

There were a couple of times that happened though. No, I don't learn do I?! Once should have been enough! But I'm just glad that I didn't offend anyone or get kicked out of PTA for being a troublemaker.
I wonder if they'd send me to the principals office? Then I'd have to tell my kids that Mommy was naughty at school! They'd LOVE that!

On a more serious note, I was disappointed in the lack of parental involvement. I know that people have very busy lives. Mine isn't so much so and I'm grateful for that. I know that not everyone has that luxury. BUT it's sad to see. I have a post a few weeks ago about Homeschooling and my thoughts go to one of the points that I brought up there. Needing good parents to be involved in the schools and that as more and more of those amazing parent homeschool, that takes them away from society changing positions in the schools as volunteers and members of PTA, etc. As I'm writing this, the PTA just called about asking me to help with their book drive. They've sent flyers home with every student from Kinder to 8th grade for parents who want to help. Do you know how many replies they have gotten?

3!!!!! Yes, I said 3. And one of those is me. In a school of close to 500 students, they only got 3 parents willing to help. :( Is it any wonder that the schools are getting more and more messed up?
I'm not saying that parents who don't join PTA are bad parents - don't go reading into my words! :) I'm just saying that the lack of numbers shows a hint of the parental involvement in the schools, or lack of parental involvement in the schools.

I really need to back off of my soap box. I don't have the time today to vocalize my views and thoughts on things. I have 20 people coming over tonight to learn about canning fruits and veggies. Gotta clean! :P

But just FYI, guess who is now heading up the Book Fair - yep, me! Mela, wanna watch Livvy a little bit around the 1st - 5th? :)
And Mom, my Shingles are fine - no flair ups. I have a LOT going on right now and coming up, but I feel good about it all! Necessary stress. So don't worry! :)

Why is Caffeine so bad for you? :(

Ok, so you all know my battle with soda. Most particularly Mt. Dew! Did you know that was what they used to called Moonshine? Things that make you go hurm?!
Well, I've been good for 2 days - no soda. Today I fell off the moonshine wagon! :) But I have had a clarity of mine and body that I haven't had for weeks. I have accomplished more in the past 3 hours than I have in a long time. AND it's stuff I've been putting off.
Why oh why is it such a bad thing?! Why oh why do my butt, hips, and stomach love it soooo much?! That's a rhetorical question - don't really answer it! LOL

This evening I attend my first PTA meeting. Any advice? I am actually nervous about it. It doesn't help that I have to take all 4 kids with me. They'll have babysitting there, but you can never tell how that's going to go. It's important for me to be involved with my children's schooling. I wouldn't even mind sitting on Boards and things like that. Nail free of course. (weak attempt at a joke). But there is one thing I have a hard time with. And that is opening my mouth and having words come out. Those of you that are really, really close to me know what I mean. When I get nervous and open my mouth, its a scarey thing. I never know what words are going to come spewing out. Seen Harry Potter? Remember when Ron had slugs coming out of his mouth from a spell gone wrong?! That is often how I feel. My whole family used to shirk down in their pew at church when I would get up to bear my Testimony.
Maybe I should have a shirt made with some funny quip about my mouth. I could wear it on special occasions like tonight. You know, kindof like - "here's your sign." :)

Anyway, it's important I go. Wish me luck tonight!

Finally....

I have friends that will often tell me about something their kids did that was SO hilarious! Often, a part of me feels like the boring friend and the other part of me is glad that my kids don't do "hilarious" things because it is usually something naughty that the parents think is funny. So my conclusion is that either my kids aren't naughty often or I'm a hard-nose mom. Which should I admit to? :)
But I finally have a very small funny thing. And here it is:

You know those words that you say that really don't sound so bad until you hear a 3 year old say it?! Well, Bret and I occasionally use the word "crap."
Last night Livvy, 3 yr. old, was doing something in the dining room and I dropped something in the kitchen. She jumped and then giggled saying, "Mommy, that scawed the cwaps out of me!"
Translation:
"Mommy, that scared the craps out of me!"

Bret laughed his butt off. I just shrugged, rolled my eyes and joined in. THEN we had a talk with Livvy about it. I know that we shouldn't have laughed, but what can you do?! It was way too funny!

Random Thoughts

Today I've had a lot going on in my mind which is surprising since I haven't had near enough Mt. Dew! I really want/need to put things down so that my little brain doesn't explode.

First of all, I like to check my little Cluster Map showing where people are from that view my blog. I know that mostly I get family and friends here in AZ and UT. But there are some random ones lately and its kindof exciting! :) I know who the New York one is - my sister. (By the way Jen, I didn't do what I said I was going to do this morning. I got sidetracked on the computer) I know who the Aussie is - either Chadwick or Muliau (hugs to you both)!!! But the others have me stumped.
I love people! I love knowing their lives and who they are. So here is my little comment to you "lurkers" - post a comment or send me a little email. :) I'd love to hear from you too!

Now aside from the Map, I've got such random thoughts today so if I'm jumping all over and not making sense I apologize!

And here we embark on the journey that is....
Steph's Mind

Homeschooling. I've been reading a lot of blogs lately of different types of Moms across the country. One concept that we all reach at the point our children start school is homeschooling. Do we trust the "system" or ourselves? Its a big issue for Moms right now. I have my own opinion - we all do. But my overall feelings are that when you do what is right for you and your family, THAT is what is important. Too often we beat ourselves up (and others too) for choices and opinions. There are pros and cons to both sides of this issue. So I am starting a world wide debate. The "Can of Worms" has been opened.

Now mind you that when I say World Wide, I have a very small group of visitors, but feel free to pass my blog on to others who might like to add imput or just get ideas and opinions. Maybe even a good fight as this is a HOT topic! :)

Please post or send me an email as to why either Homeschooling or Public or Private or Unschooling or Ignoreschooling has worked for you. And yeah, that last one was a joke. Don't get all excited thinking that there really was a way to Ignore and school at the same time! :) Yeah, I saw you all get way to happy about that one.

Hopefully I can come up with a unbiased list of pros and cons for those Moms who are just trying to decide what will work for them.

To start it all out, I have a few pros for Public:
* The public schools NEED good parents to get involved to make it better for all children involved.

* There is TOO much emphasise on KNOWING. From day one Babies are constantly measured by how much they know. Homeschooling has become more and more about advancing beyond what the schools can provide. There is beginning to become a segregation for kids who perform above the norm. or below the norm. I like that my children get to deal with others from all walks of life AND all smarts of life. (Personally, I'm not of the smart variety) :)

* I honestly feel that it is OK to be happy in who you are as a kid! Whether that be fast learner, slow learner, or average learner. And life is not all about ABC's.

* I think its important for kids to learn to deal with the world BUT find their own peace. I'm NOT saying to feed them to the wolves to be rapped and murdered. Only that the world IS a yucky place, VERY yucky. They HAVE to be in it. I think its important to teach them to be in it and deal with the unfairness, and rotteness of it but then to be able to come home and have peace and love and joy. They need to KNOW (and I mean really KNOW) how to stand up for themselves and be strong in this world. They can do this by being in school and its a smaller version of the grown-ups.

*I read a post from a Pro School advocate that also mentioned about letting others love your kids. Mommy/Daddy love is great, so is Brother, Sister, Grandparent, etc. But having a teacher or group of teachers is another way for your child to feel love. Yes, sometimes that is not the case. But again, its another learning experience.

There are other ideas roaming through my head right now. Pros AND cons. But this particular blog is getting long and I'd like to hear what others feel. And have it understood that I'm not saying that any parent loves their children more, or will have more brilliant children or anything like that! If you get your feelings hurt, its not my fault I swear! I just want different ideas about each option.

We are all GREAT moms! You have each been chosen for YOUR kids!!! Not mine or someone elses. Heaven knows, I couldn't handle anyone elses kids and WOW, no one would want mine! :) Your babies need you for YOU. That even means your faults too. :) Even if you were perfect, like you want to be, it would be detrimental to your kids. So love yourself and your place in life. Love your kids and screw anyone else! :)
Hugs to you all!

Punching Hearts and Tokens

Ok, so what do you do when your kids are rude and mean to each other?! Ideas would be great because that is what has been going on in our house! "Naw, not Steph's kids,: you think! But alas, tis true. Example:

Last night the kids were watching cartoons downstairs in my "craft" room (which is really only a "closethedoorsoyoudon'tseethelaundry" room or the "Bretjuststicksrandomjunkthere" room). ANYWHO... The kids were watching cartoons until dinner was ready and they fought about what to watch using rude voices and hollaring at each other to be quiet. I finally named a show they've all been wanting to see (yeah for DVR and new cartoons). And then they fought over who sits where.
Elizabeth - "I was sitting there first!"
Jake - "You got up!"
E - "So, I was just getting the remote control."
J - "SO, you GOT UP!"
E - "That doesn't matter, I was there FIRST!"
Mom - "Elizabeth and Jake, come here!"
waiting......
Mom - "I SAID come HERE!!"
waiting...... like if they are quiet, I'll forget that I called them - I'm not THAT old yet!
Mom - "NOW!!!"
They come in. Mom - "Ok, you two are done. Put your stuff away and come sit on the couch till dinner is done."
They go into the craft room, and mind you it is seriously 2 feet from where I am in the Kitchen.
E (talking softly, but not softly enough) - "Jake, you little snot."

Of course, I came even more unglued than I already was. I'm not glued together with super glue, ya know. More like Elmer's glue.
So then they got a lecture. ALL of them! And I hate to say it, but my whole goal was to make them cry. Sad, I know. Not crying cause I was screaming so much, but becasue they feel it in their hearts. So this is what I told them:

Mom - "If Jesus were here right now, would he like to hear how you treat each other?"
Kids - "No."
M - "No, cause he loves you all and doesn't want you talking to each other like that. Does Mommy like to hear how you treat each other?"
K - "No."
M - "No, cause I love you all and don't want you talking to each other like that. Do you like it when someone hits you?"
K - confused "No."
M - "Well, when you say mean things to each other and call each other names and use rude voices with each other, its like you are hitting each other IN THE HEART!!"
K - light bulb moment and starting to tear up
M - "Do you WANT to hurt each other - punch each other in the heart?"
K - tears streaming now. "No Mommy. We LOVE each other."
M - "Then be nice to each other and don't make our house a place with hurt hearts."

The "Tokens" part are these little hearts made out of card stock and the kids have to earn these "tokens" by being nice to each other. As they get tokens, they can "buy" special things. A trip to ice cream with Mom, ect. I implumented this last night. We"ll see if it works!

Luke Days - brings back memories

I've been going through all my pictures of the kids and our "little" family. :) And I found these from when we went to Luke Days in March. Luke is an Air Force Base here by us and they have Luke Days once a year. We LOVE to go and see the Air Show and walk around looking at the different planes and vehicles. Here are some of the photos from this past year:

Luke Days - 3/07

Just click on the photo to see the whole album.

I think that I'M the one who has the most fun. As soon as we walk onto the Base, a rush of memories come flooding into my mind. Growing up, we lived on Air Force Bases and often went to the Air Shows. I'm sure all my siblings remember being so excited to see the Blue Angels or just walk around with our friends, feeling so grown up. I want to share that feeling with my own kids, but then I realize, its not the Air Shows that bring back all the memories, its living on the Base.

I remember how cute all the men in "pickles" were! Or playing with a large group of friends after dark in the streets. I remember going to the BX and the Commisary. The swimming pool in the summer. I remember feeling so priviledged when we went through the gate and were saluted in. Like I belonged to a unique group. We even had ID's so that we could get into the Base, or the stores. The Base was a close community! Everyone understood everyone else because we all had the same background. We all knew what it was like to move, make friends, move again (repeat often). At first it was sad, but then you looked forward to the fresh start every few years.

There is a large part of my heart that is still connected to the Air Force. I get choked up when I say the Pledge of Alliegance or sing the National Anthem. Its embarrasing when I visit my childrens classes and they do the Pledge in the mornings. I'm the only Mom crying. :) I love, admire, respect the men and women serving because we were once there too.

In Honor of Heidi

Ok, one of my close friends is pregnant and just had a real horrible story about her weekend to Newport Beach. Short story - Puke on Marble in fancy hotel lobby! I felt so bad for her that I had to start a little blog thing. Everyone post a comment about your worst prego experience!
For me it was when I was very pregnant. I can't remember what child it was with - take your pick. We were visiting my parents and we were all up late playing games, Skipbo (the Devil's game). I hate that game. If you haven't played, you've gotta play it. Everyone needs to feel eternal frustration. It is the game that never ends, and it goes on and on my friends. Some people started playing it not knowing what it was and they'll continue playing it forever just because, it is the game that never ends. And it goes on and on my friends..........
ANYWAY - Bret took his turn just before me. and before he discards his discard (redundant) he tells me, " Sweetie, I know that this is the card you need to go out for this hand. If I play it you have to promise that you'll wait one more round before you go out. Ok?"
Well, sure - I can do that no skin off my back.
So I start to get all excited. I'm the one that never wins at games. I come from a trashtalking, loser harrasing family and I NEVER win. I'm some sort of anomoly in my family. So needless to say, so I'm gonna say it - I got REAL excited!!! I forgot every word that had just come out of my Hubby's mouth and I went out.
Bret looked at me and opened his mouth (will they EVER learn to keep that thing shut when around a pregnant woman?), "I TOLD you not to go out!!! Why did you go out??!!"
By the way, did I mention that I was VERY emotional?!
My response - gush of tears.
Everyone just stopped what they were doing and stared at me. All eyes on Fatty with the leak! I felt SO stupid and SOOOO pregnant!
So that's my story. I know, I know - it's no Fancy Pancy Barf (Heidi that's what I'm calling your experience), but it's all I got.

Ok, everyone! Now its your turn. Tell me YOUR worst prego stories! Have your friends come to my blog and post theirs too.

Hey, side note. How many of you are still singing the On and On song that I quoted?! :)

Pics from our trip!

"Little" Bit of Heaven

Just click on the picture to see the whole album!

And that was just a glimpse into our very fun trip to Utah! We LOVE visitng our families there and doing things with them - big or small. It means a lot to us that we have the opportunity to make trips and grow closer to our loved ones. Not everyone has that chance.
I lost my favorite Grandma and Grandpa a couple of years ago. It really hit me hard and I wished that I had more time to be with them. I don't want my kids to ever feel distant from their Grandparents (in miles or heart)!
Thanks for all you do, my family! And remember that I treasure it all up in my heart! :)
I love and miss you all so much!

Collective Sigh all around Buckeye

Today if you listened carefully, you could hear a great sigh of relief from many parents in Buckeye School District. Today was the first day of school.

The Little kids went to their new school and really enjoyed their first day!
Elizabeth is in 4th Grade and is glad that there are 3 kids from her old class that got transfered too. But she WILL say she's not glad that Oscar was transfered too, but I think she really is glad to have even his familiar face.
Elijah is in 3rd. I am glad to see some of his classmates transfered over too, I'm friends with their mothers.
Jacob is now attending all day in 1st grade. His teacher is really cute and young and eager! I think he'll love her.

And just so you know, I was one of the sighs of relief! This morning I think the powers that be were trying to get me to be glad to send them to school. All 4 kids fought over everything, even something so trivial as to where Mommy was picking them up after school. Elizabeth even dumped a whole bowl of cereal on her new school clothes. Had to change and she wasn't too happy about having to change. Lap full of milk; or clothes that aren't as "cute" as the first set - make a choice.
I finally got them out the door and to school. We were a few minutes later than I'd have liked to be. I walked them to the back of the school and helped them to line up with their classes. I got Jake in the wrong line, but quickly fixed that. And they all got in ok.
Yes, I let a few tears leak out. Not much though! Lets all pretend they were tears of joy! :)

My day without big kids was nice!!! Bret, LIvvy and I went to the new Walmart by us and we wandered around for a little while. Then we came home. Bret went to a movie and Livvy and I took a nap on my bed together. Now some of you are thinking, "No big deal - I nap with my kid all the time." Well, I don't. Naptime is so sacred to me and I put them in their own beds and I do my thing. In the past I haven't really been alone during naptime. I have 3 big kids that don't nap anymore.
But today was so special for Livvy and me. She cuddled right up to me and we crashed. When the big kids got home, she bragged to them that she got to nap with Mommy "in her own big bed."

I have one thing to complain about today though - I have to wait till Monday for a bit more of Heaven! :)

We Are Home!!!

Ok, for those of you waiting with baited breath (where DID that phrase come from?) for me to post a new blog, here you are!

We had an AMAZING time in Utah visiting both sides of our family! We went camping and 4-wheeling; we had Elijah's baptism; and Bret and I even had a few days alone while Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids. Which was the first time we have ever been away from the kids together overnight. The only other time I'VE been away from the kids overnight was when Elijah was a baby and sick in the hospital, I stayed with him so does that really count... and when I went overnight to girls camp. BUT I was pregnant with Livvy so I really wasn't away from her! :)

We got back late Tuesday night and as I lay in my own bed I grinned to myself. HOME! What a sweet thing! I actually stayed up a little bit and thought about what I had missed while in UT.

a little thing called central air! Thank You Mom & Dad for the bit of "Home/Heaven" in our room!
our dog - dork that he is, we've missed him!
the kids in their rooms and beds
being able to wear jammies and no bra
our routines
the DVR :)
my kitchen
my COUPONS!!!!
my sales and my stores (Albertsons, Bashas, Frys, and Safeway - oh, and Walgreens too)
my friends
yes, even my calling

I missed home. I loved being with family, but - no offense - it's so good to be back!

I'll post pictures and more info on our trip in the next few days!

Jake's Picture

We had a garage sale a little while ago - our last one, I swear!!! And the kids were having fun "running" a drink and snack stand. Jake really grasped the idea of selling something and getting money. So this is what he made to sell:



It was just SO cute that I HAD to buy it for 26 cents. Only problem was that he made more and more and more. I finally had to tell him, "No More!" :)

Can't Wait!!

We are leaving on Monday for our trip to Utah where we will get to see both sides of our family AND baptize Elijah! I am SO excited!!! My only problem is that I'm not packed and ready to leave. Normally I am packed at least a week before we leave. And here it is only days away and I don't have a single thing packed! :) I've been very lazy. I also have to clean the house and do the laundry too. I have to get things in order for Enrichment while we are gone too. So what am I doing while my kids are napping and playing video games - totally occupied?! Blogging! Oops. I don't have a lot of motivation right now.

I also wish I had all these wonderful things to post on my blog, but alas... I'm really a very boring person! I have friends that a lot happens to and sometimes I feel a little dull. The extent of my worries this week has been trying to find a pair of swim shorts to wear for when we go water playing in Utah. Today a friend had my kids and I accomplished my "trial." So my drama is ended. :(

Actually, I DO have my ongoing fight with weight and exercise. Maybe I should keep track of things with my eating and exercise here on my blog?! I am like my Dad in that we both seem to do real well when we have a chart or way to gauge how we are doing on things. My Dad did it with different financial things (he paid off a 30 yr. mortgage in 6 years!) and maybe it will help me with my weight and exercise.

Well, I'll have to think about it. :)

Anyway, there isn't anything new or exciting to mention right now. We are headed to our trip and maybe something eventful will happen there! :) If you don't hear back from me soon, it's cause I've got a lot going on during our "vacation."
See you all later!

Thought this was funny! (from Heidi)