christmas means carnage

Well, all the packages are opened and a pile of wrapping paper sits in our fireplace waiting to be burned. Boxes lay around the floor like a bunch of dead carcasses and I could build an addition to the house with the amount of plastic covered twist-ties that we've taken off each gift. Likewise, the roast beast and who-pudding have been devoured, and bits of chocolate covered pretzels from the neighbors cover the countertops.

It's post Christmas and I don't feel like cleaning.

I'd much rather just play with the kids and BE a kid again and play with my stuff and stay in pajamas all day long! But, alas, being "THE mom" that I am, I cannot catch a break.

That's okay. Christmas was a LOT of fun, the church service made it even more special, and seeing the reaction from my girls (when we finally got home) on Christmas morning makes even the cleaning worth it.

Here I go....

I'm getting off the computer now....

I'm going....

sigh............

merry christmas

and Happy New Year!

Love- Gene, Carla, Emma & Sarah

the week in pictures 12/19

Last week was super crazy, and boy am I glad it's over! I pushed myself too hard --pushed myself right into a cold! (So much for the bubble theory.) Although, I have to admit, it's not that bad of a cold, and I hope it doesn't get any worse given that I have to sing in a quartet during church on Christmas day!

This is Sarah and her friend, Aylish from the homeschooling group. This was during the Christmas party and the girls were trying to escape the boys on this top bunk.

This is Sarah and Bethann building "gingerbread" houses during another Christmas party/potluck that the Dad's got to come to.

It keeps snowing and melting and snowing and melting and snowing...

I'm hoping for a white Christmas, clear sinuses and my voice to NOT crack on Christmas day.

Wish me luck.

a bubble, a bubble? yes, a bubble.

Tis the season. No, I'm not talking about twinkling lights, gifts and candies. Or even the "Moops". I'm talking about ...GERMS! A season of decisions. Do I allow my kids to continue on living a relatively normal life or do I shelter them from the inevitable with many thick layers of visqueen (also known as Polyethylene) ???

Our church had it's annual Christmas party last night. I could not decide if I wanted to go until the last minute, literally. I sat here wringing my hands knowing that, by attending said Christmas party, my kids are very likely hence forth going to be sick the rest of the year. I had to weigh the pro's and con's and wrestle with my very "yellow" husband.

• Pro's: Free food, fun games, music, "THE man" himself- Santa would be there, and sure, visiting with friends too.
• Con's: LOTS OF COUGHING, RUNNY-NOSED KIDS AND ADULTS CRAMPED INTO SMALL QUARTERS!

We did go.

Usually the last piece of advice I tell my kids before I set them loose to wreck havoc is "remember who you are" or "have fun!" This time my last piece of advice was uttered with threatening tones "So help me, if you even think you see someone with a runny nose you RUN the other way, and you can't give Christina a hug today...I don't care that she's your best friend, do you hear me?!!!"

Extreme? No. Insane? Possibly. Really, come January I'm much more easy going and go through only one can of Lysol spray during the month, but leading up to Christmas?...Can you blame me? Am I being irrational? What would you do???

**Anyway, here's some of the "featured" episode for your reading pleasure.

MRS. SANGER: See it's not really a bubble. A lot of people think it's an igloo. But it's really just a plastic divider.

GEORGE: Huh.

GEORGE: Can you uh, go in the bubble?

MRS. SANGER: Well, you have to put so many things on because of the germs.

MEL: The gloves, the mask, it's a whole production.

GEORGE: So then he makes his own bed?

MRS. SANGER: Well, that's one of the things we fight about.

MEL: Would you like to meet him?

GEORGE: Uh, well, you know,...

MRS. SANGER: Oh, he loves games. Maybe you could play Trivial Pursuit with him.

DONALD: HEY MA WHAT THE HELL DO I GOT TO DO TO GET SOME FOOD AROUND HERE? I'M STARVIN'. AND IF IT'S PEANUT BUTTER, I'M GONNA SHOVE IT IN YOUR FACE.

just call me mother hubbard

It's snowing again today. I love the snow. I love staying indoors and being "domestic". I just don't love the monotonous routine of the daily grind.

play. mess. pick up. play. mess. pick up. play. mess. pick up...

wear. wash. fold. wear. wash. fold. wear. wash. fold...

cook. wash. put away. cook. wash. put away. cook. wash. put away...

Anyway, I live for something new to break up the boredom, like HS fieldtrips, a great sale or a lunch date with a friend. (I spend far too much time at this computer reading blogs, savoring the new posts, reading message boards, email, etc.) So, for example, I have this thing, this....twisted sickness, in which I love to "deprive" myself (and our family) during the month leading up to Christmas. Just for a change of routine. We try to eat ourselves out of house and home. We eliminate any "frills" in the menu. It's challenging and fun to see what you can make with a can of soup, bread crusts and beans.

Absolutely NO toys of any kind (even happy meal toys) can be purchased, or books for that matter. We purge our playroom and give to charity any toys that have not been played with in the last 6 months or so. We do get out to see the Christmas lights, Santa and other festivities, but they're usually free!

That way, come Christmas day (when we DO have all the frills) it's super special and like...

holiday pics

Here's how we spent our Thanksgiving:

Behold the yummy food!

Verle, Merla, Lori, Lorraine and Hannah were patiently waiting.

The kiddie table: Alex, Amanda, Megan, Sarah and Rachel.

The "grown-up" table with only Gene, Cheryl, Pat, Sirren, Heidi, Merla, Josh & Nicole in the picture.

Emma using the olives as jewelry.

Did you know that if you have too many olives that they pretty much come out the same way they went in?

occasionally i try something new

...like, say, rock climbing...well, wall climbing anyway. And though it's not flattering, here's proof that I made it a quarter the way up the wall. (I blame it on my shoes --Sketchers mules are not proper climbing gear.)

Hanging on for dear life or arm cramp? You decide.

Gene made it more than half the way on the more difficult wall.

My own Mother even gave it a try! Yay Mom!

take off...

...to the great white North. So it's not Canada, but this is our first snow of the season. I LOVE snow! I still need to dead-head my roses, however, it has been snowing constantly since last evening.

The front of our home.

Emma and Sarah enjoying the white stuff.

Emma looking on as Sarah licks snowflakes from her face.

thankful

This past week has been so fun, and (blast!) if it weren't for my PC "camera" you'd have decent pics to look at. As it is, I refuse to post another grainy, dark picture. I'm hoping this will prompt Gene to buy me a digital camera for Christmas, but there's so much more that we need/want --we'll see.

Earlier this week Gene had his birthday and turned 37. However, it was anticlimactic because, for some reason -a few months back, we thought he already was 37 ...going on 38. Go figure! It was fun though, and he got his head phones/radio & BYU tickets to boot. I made him his favorite dinner: hamburger shortcakes (comfort food from his childhood) and a homemade apple pie. The girls made him birthday cards and helped decorate the house cute.

On the homeschooling front Sarah has been learning about maps, and at the group get-together, mid week, she "mapped" our: planet, country, state, town & home. She has also passed off her vowel "i" books and is moving onto her vowel "o" books.

Thursday I took both Sarah and Emma to the dentist. Sarah has one tiny cavity on her very back tooth (those are so hard to reach sometimes -my girls have such small mouths) and will need a filling in 2 weeks. Emma has more serious issues. Let me preface by reminding you that while I was pregnant with her (at about 7 months), I had a high fever/flu for three or four days, and I've heard it said that the fever of a preggy mom can affect the enamel of the unborn baby's teeth. Fast forward to Emma at 5 months old, cutting her two front teeth, one of which looked chipped along the edge in the middle. Ok, now, the dentist says that her enamel is decaying around that "chip", and that if it progresses she may need a CROWN?! At two, maybe three years old! How sad is that?

Anyway, on a much lighter note, that evening I got together with 7 of the homeschooling moms from our group and we all went to the Olive Garden for our first (but not last) "ladies night" out. We played a few "getting acquainted" games and learned all sorts of trivia about each other, planned future HS activities and just chatted. It was so much fun -we were at the restaurant for 3 1/2 hours! Now here's the part of this week that I'm especially thankful for: Gene had mowed the lawn, fed the kids, cleaned the house -yes, it's true, bathed the kids and put them down while I was gone! Nothing beats coming home to a clean house after a fun & yummy dinner date with girlfriends. Nothing...(well, maybe the way I thanked him). :)

Gene said "If momma aint happy, aint nobody happy." I told him that he was finally catching on and on his way of becoming a very. wise. man. Then he showed me this "list" of what he's learned over the years.

I've learned:

1. Yes = No

2. No = No

3. Maybe = No

4. We need = I want..

5. I am sorry = you'll be sorry

6. We need to talk = You're in trouble

7. Sure, go ahead = You better not

8. Do what you want = And you'll pay dearly

9. I am not upset = Of course I am upset, you moron!

10. You're certainly attentive tonight = Is sex all you ever think about?

ways in which i'm like george costanza

I don't know if it's good or bad or indifferent, but as I've been watching Seinfeld lately (big shocker) I've noticed a few similarities between George Costanza and myself.

• My hair is also thinning.
• I'm the over-weight friend of many thinner people.
• I've always privately pretended to be an architect. (When I was 8 years old I drafted the floor plan of my future house --strangely similar to the Brady Bunch's house.)
• I, too, like to sing Macarthur Park.
• Velvet is one of the fabrics that I would like to be draped in some day --that and silk.
• I also get irritated when pretzels make me thirsty.
• I often wonder if I did just the exact opposite of my normal routine how much better my day would be? (Of course that would require the removal of my butt from infront of this computer.)
• Like George, I panic about any change on my body.
• I've gone out in public wearing sweat pants, because I chose comfort over looks.
• I sometimes blame others for items I've misplaced.
• I, too, have a non-sexual crush on Jerry Seinfeld.
• Sometimes I just need to scream out "Serenity now, serenity now!"

the week in pictures 11/1

Alternate title: A week about nothing.

Last week, for the most part, was supposed to be really fun; story time at a library, Dino park, etc. but those plans fell through and we were met with an unexpected plan or two instead. Mid-week we were shopping at a favorite store of mine, walking along rather rushed. One of those "Keep up, Mommy's in a hurry" type of trips when all of a sudden Sarah face-plants on the corner of a metal cross bar at the bottom of a clothes rack. I turn around to see her on the floor crying, so I squat down to give her a hug and to have a better look at her face. A manager came over and helped us to customer service where they gave Sarah an ice pack and a sucker. I had to fill out an incident report stating that, no, it wasn't due to faulty carpeting or a slippery floor on your part, but instead it was due to the wondering mind and the "zig-zag" walking of my daughter. Then, of course, I had to take Sarah into an Instacare to have her eye looked at and checked thoroughly. She got a clean bill of health and didn't need stitches, but there may be a tiny scar left anyway. Poor girl. She handled the doctor's office very well and was very polite.
Friday I attended the baby shower of a dear life-long friend of mine. Rosann. It was very nice, but alas my pocket pc/camera does not take good pictures in low light, so there will not be a picture of that. I'm so excited for Rosann to have her baby though --she's having a girl which means PLAYDATES and her baby and Emma will only be about 20 months apart.

the week in pictures 10/23

Emma eating yogurt.

This may give you an idea as to why I start my week out cleaning. :)

P.E. time at the local skating rink/bounce house. Sarah takes her scooter around the rink but it was too dark to get a good picture of that.

Emma had a ton of fun trying to keep up with the big kids!

Friday- a quick trip to the pumpkin patch.

Monkey see...

...Monkey do!

18 quarts (and counting) of Apple Pie filling, and 10 pints (and counting) of Apple butter.

This past week Sarah also had a primary activity & practice, since the children performed their Annual Primary Presentation during church today. She said her line just perfectly --I'm so proud of her. Gene watched a very sad BYU game. I attended my Salt Lake Home Educators monthly meeting, took the necessary minutes, and met a few new people. Otherwise I've just been a canning fool!

the week in pictures 10/17

Taking a cue from MSN, I thought I'd adopt the idea of summarizing my weeks; since I'm better at blogging on a weekly basis anyway. I warn you, there may be weeks that I don't give much, if any, attention, and there may be weeks were it's all about my kids. This entry isn't one of them. This time it's all about me. :)

The beginning of almost any week starts off rather slow; aside from the house cleaning that follows a weekend of house neglect and/or Gene being home. (I always thought women exaggerated when they'd say their husband was as messy as the kids.) It starts off slow also, in part, because I'm slow --dragging, because we've been going and going during the weekend. Mid-week the pace picks up; Wednesdays are starting to get very congested with HS group activities, meeting and church stuff. Anyway, I digress, I just wanted to give you an idea of why I may never start at Monday. Here's last week (mid-October).

Wednesday, my SIL, Felicia and I attended a Smart Women Smart Money conference at the Salt Palace, for free. It was very financially inspiring. This is a picture (albeit a poor one) of Kurt Bestor, one of the MC's.

This is Simba on Thursday. Notice all the fallen leaves making a nice, soft blanket for him. We have yet to rake them up, that'll be next week. Isn't he cute though!

I just like this picture --a close up of how the leaves are changing.

Still Thursday. I canned 28 quarts of grape juice --the way my Grandma K. used to do it-- yummy!

Friday we picked and picked and picked 60+ pounds of apples...

...of which I plan on canning apple pie filling, apple sauce and apple butter with.

Cuties-- Sarah and Emma playing in the sand box.

Saturday was our ward's Relief Society "Super Saturday" which turned out to be very fun and filled a much needed break from the kids. I made this picture mat that surrounds the article The Living Christ. And I also made this...

A new Family Home Evening chart --cute, even if I do say so myself. I plan on hanging this in the downstairs family room next to the fireplace when we get it all painted. And, yes, one heart is blank, ya' know --just in case.

That's about it; the highlights as far as I'm concerned. Now that I've sufficiently bored you to death, return in a few days for this weeks pictures, if you have the stomach for it. :)

i love the fall

The other day it was cold, rainy and overcast and I was feeling exceptionally giddy. So I threw in my Harry Connick Jr. Christmas CD and baked cookies with my girls. It was a very fun day. Another good reason to Home School --Sarah would've missed all the fun otherwise. Speaking of which, we've been on some fun fieldtrips lately; one to the Planetarium to see Tom Hank's Magnificent Desolation in 3-D, another to the local skating rink and the next field trip is a walk through corn-maze of Napoleon Dynamite. Obviously we do more than just go on fieldtrips; currently we're reading Girls of Colonial Days -Abigail Adams, Lifepac Math & Reading, etc.

The leaves on the trees in our yard are just starting to turn. We have a good variety of Oak, Ash, Quaking Aspen, Pine, Locus and Sugar Maple turning rust, yellow and light orange. It reminds me of a poem:

I am rich today with autumn's gold,

All that my covetous hands can hold;

Frost-painted leaves and goldenrod,

A goldfinch on a milkweed pod,

Huge golden pumpkins in the field

With heaps of corn from a bounteous yield,

Golden apples heavy on the trees

Rivaling those of Hesperides,

Golden rays of balmy sunshine spread

Over all like butter on warm bread;

And the harvest moon will this night unfold

The streams running full of molten gold.

Oh, who could find a dearth of bliss

With autumn glory such as this!
- Gladys Harp

Our home -with a couple Halloween decorations

The tree behind our van is just starting to turn

Pretty soon we'll have to rake a ton of leaves from off the ground. In the meantime Sarah & Emma love walking in the crisp leaves and listening to the crunching sound and throwing them in the air. I love crushing the acorns under my shoes. I also love the smell of smoke coming from chimney fires. I love the Fall!

this week's soundtrack

There's been a lot going on in my life lately. I could make a list, but it's all relative anyway, right? Fine. Here's just a quick taste: Four church callings (all in Relief Society), homeschooling at least 3 hours a day plus fieldtrips, Educator's meetings (of which I was just voted in as Secretary to the committee), home remodeling and Emma (need I say more?). I mean, I'm not overwhelmed, and I'm definitely not as busy as I've been at times, but a lot of it's new ground and it still leaves my head spinning. I'm not complaining either because I created it. But for some reason when I have this many pokers in the fire, and I feel spread thin, I feel very vulnerable. Thin, like y'all can see right through me. So I guard myself more, check myself twice (Santa ought to be happy) and proceed with caution.

However, I was reading a blog, via my friend Jamie's blog, from this lady who is very witty. In a post she articulated exactly how I've been feeling. She likened being vulnerable to the Velveteen Rabbit, and how it's only after he gets all the fur rubbed off that he becomes "real". And then a couple days later I heard the song Breathe (2 am) by Anna Nalick on the radio, and the last verse really spoke to me.

2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer
Inside of me, threatening the life it belongs to.
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you'll use them, however you want to.
Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
and life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button now
Sing it if you understand.
And breathe, just breathe
Woah breathe, just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe.


Somehow, with all that is going on, I need to find time to start exercising again. I was really, really good there for about 7 months, but then I don't know what happened. The other day Felicia and I attended a seminar/luncheon, and the topic was about non-pharmaceutical ways to combat depression. (No, Mom, I'm not depressed.)

Even though we were there mostly for the free lunch (heh), the research was interesting. In Utah 16-20% of people are on some form of Anti-depressant drug. It's no wonder with the "tribal mentality" gotta-be-perfect-Mollie-Mormon-pressure. However, the doctor told of a study done on 3 focus groups: 1-drugs only, 2-exercise only and 3-both. The results were that exercise only was equal in effectiveness to the group that had both, at 6 months testing and at 1 year testing. The "drugs only" group was significantly lower each testing.

Okay, I'm not Tom Cruise here --jumping on couches-- and arguing against drugs, I just thought it was interesting. And knowing this, I need to get my butt in gear! Maybe while I'm running on the treadmill, getting winded and huffing and puffing I'll learn how to breathe.

of sleepless nights and fairies

Alternate Title: Ever since Kathleen came to town
Alternate Alternate Title: Something wicked this way comes


Last June we visited Goblin Valley with Gene's family. (Family pics later--way later.) In an attempt to entertain the children kind, kind Aunt Kathleen eloquently and vividly recited Little Orphan Annie (with tales of "the goblins 'il get you" and "two great big black things") to Sarah and Lydia. Of course to back up the poem she had to testify of her own personal experience with a "goblin family" from New Jersey. And, in case there was any doubt left of the existence of goblins, the older cousins (I know, I know...kids will be kids) challenged the younger cousins to catch a goblin. It's not so easy, apparently they only move in the shadows, or when it's dark.

I'll give you one guess as to how well we've been sleeping the last 3 months. "3 MONTHS?!" You say. Well, it was on and off (more on than off) and I honestly thought she'd HAVE TO forget it one of these days. Right? Well, we'd had enough one morning, just last week, when Mommy fell asleep eating her scrambled eggs, and Daddy wore his shirt inside-out to work. In tears I furiously emailed Gene to vent and beg for ideas... help!

Morning Fairy to the Rescue!!! Well, husband came through with some great websites on helping your kids sleep through the night. So, I sat Sarah down and told her that "Ya know, there's this fairy, who happens to be sisters with the tooth fairy, called the morning fairy. She leaves little toys for children who sleep in their own beds all night long without waking mom or dad. She's really busy so I haven't wanted to write her before, but I'm thinking it's time." I continue "We can invite her to come into our home for a few weeks --(I've heard 21 days forms a habit)-- what do you think?" My 21st century daughter, with a light bulb hanging over head in mid air, replies "Does she have the internet? We could email her and she could get it tonight." Uhhh...I think she's ready. So we did just that, tucked Sarah into bed and she, in no-uncertain terms, kindly told us to leave. Lo and behold, the next morning there was a toy (paint by numbers) in the hallway for Sarah. Seven nights and Seven toys later she's still sleeping through the night! HA! Take that mean Aunt Ouisea, er...Aunt Kathleen!!!

Thank goodness for the dollar store!

my life's trivia

Both my SIL, Felicia, and my MIL, Barbara, have emailed me these questionnaires recently. You know, the "Get to know you better" survey. So I've decided to combine them both, in part anyway, and list my answers here just for you. :)

Diamonds or Pearls?
--Puh-leeze! No contest. Diamonds.
What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
--Cinderella Man --LOVED it!
What is your favorite TV show?
--Don't really have one. Seinfeld re-runs I guess.
What did you have for Breakfast?
--Waffles with a sour cream/brown sugar sauce my mission comp. Julie introduced me to. Favorite Cuisine?
--Italian
What foods do you dislike?
--Corned beef and cabbage --smells like cat food! Puke!
What are your favorite songs at the moment?
--Better now by Collective Soul, Woman in chains by Tears for Fears, Only You by Harry Connick Jr. , We Carry On by Tim McGraw (I dedicate to the Katrina survivors), Forgiven by Alanis Morissette
What kind of car do you drive?
--2003 Ford Windstar mini-van
Favorite Sandwich?
--Any and all! Hoagie, pita, loaf bread, bagel...it's all good. As long as it's turkey.
Favorite Drink?
--Milk, Coke -straight up, Italian sodas... I can't decide.
Favorite item of clothing?
--My grey, long sleeve, Eddie Bauer, crew-neck tee...6 years old and stained and oh, so comfortable!
If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
--Doesn't matter. It's all good when you're on vacation.
What color is your bathroom?
--White, yellow and blue --Cape Cod look
Where would you retire to?
--I'd like to stay in our home forever, but visit San Diego often.
Favorite time of the day?
--Nap time!!!
Favorite Sport to watch?
--Football is the only one that doesn't give me a headache.
Are you a morning person or a night person?
--Night...very night!
Do you have any pets?
--One yellow lab we call food stora...er, Simba.
What (or who) did you want to be when you were little?
--An astronaut, a ballerina, a Vet and Olivia Newton John.
What is your sign?
--Capricorn
What's under your bed?
--Nothing
Your single biggest intense pain?
--My bulging/slipped disk incident while I was pregnant with Emma.
Ketchup or mustard?
--Mustard
What is your favorite season?
--Autumn --the colors, the smells, the sounds, the temperature, the baking...
The best place you have ever been?
--Best --the Temple. Funnest --NYC dance club rooftop, at night, in the summer.
How do you vent anger?
--I clean my house. But it's always messy so I must not be that angry.
Favorite flower?
--On the table -Gerber Daisies. In the garden -Clematis Jackman.
How many states have you lived in?
--4: Utah, Nevada, New York, North Carolina.
Who is the friend you have had the longest?
--Rosann --34 years and counting.
When was the last time you cried?
--Can't remember...maybe during Cinderella Man.
What did you do last night?
--FHE and read Charlotte's Web to Sarah.

on this date in history

September 7, 1995.....I married my sweetie! After dating for a stinkin' year and a half, we finally tied the knot at the Salt Lake LDS Temple.




In ten years we've experienced our share of ups and downs. Gene has finally learned that saying "yes dear" makes the wife happy, and when the wife's happy.....(hee, hee, hee) well, it's true!

I've learned that being happy means sometimes letting boogies get smeared on you. This is saying a lot. What I knew about myself before I married Gene was that I was a self described "clean freak"; I liked a controlled environment. Some used the word "anal" (Lorraine, I'm looking your way)...it's all the same. I also knew that Gene was, in every way, the exact opposite. I knew that. What I didn't know, at the time, is what Gene has taught me over these years-- that I can be joyful in a mess by prioritizing relationships over things, or a clean environment. Sometimes you can have both, but sometimes you can't.

The other day my 18 month old daughter looked up at me with her lips puckered (she's learning how to kiss) and a stream of boogies coming out of her nose (she has a cold). Her grunting insisted on an immediate kiss. So, despite years of flinching at, or even rejecting something like that, I leaned in and gave her a kiss...and got some boogie smeared on my face as well. It was great!

Thanks for teaching me to lighten up. Happy 10th Anniversary!

homeschooling in the news

While I was reading this article about Homeschooling, Sarah said "Mom, when you're done, can I do math on the computer?"

It's all about a love of learning.

field trip fun

We just got back from another Homeschool fieldtrip, this time to Camp Floyd; an interactive park/museum about Utah history during the civil war. We had a great turn-out with 28 families from our local support group coming. We broke into 9 groups of 3-4 families as there were 9 different stations we rotated through. Sarah got to learn how to hold a riffle, march, make adobe bricks, candles and be a letter carrier for the Pony Express. The guns and canons were loud and scared her a little, but Emma had no problem with them--she'd say "Oooo" and laugh. Sarah's favorite part was making the candle that she got to take home with her.

Now Sarah is drawing the shape of our state, learning to spell Utah and drawing pictures of the things we did today. Can I just tell you how much fun we're having?--I LOVE homeschooling!!! Enjoy the pix!

The Captain teaching the children

about the history of Camp Floyd.

"Bravo Company" practicing riffle drills.

Sarah and our group making Adobe bricks.

Emma petting a cat in the background.

Emma giddy on fruit snacks--

she behaved so well!

Sarah and our group making candles.

Sarah on the "girls side" of the

one-room school house.

The children practicing math on their slates.

my interview

My very cool friend, Jamie, "interviewed" me with these questions, so here's my answers:

1. Tell the story of your courtship and marriage to Gene...a mini-autobiography of life since 1994.

Well, the "welcome to our blog" post is, I think, a synopsis of my life after 1994--and a little before. But, without getting too lengthy... technically I met Gene for the first time in our singles ward before my mission. I met him for the second time, as I was coming out of the Stake President's office after being released from my mission. He invited me to sing in the choir and offered to give me rides (since I didn't have a car). The very first date he took me on he flew me to San Diego for the day (he was working at an airline). We went to the temple, and the beach and ate pizza in the park. It was so fun!

We dated for a challenging 18 months (12 months of which Gene waited for his girlfriend-turned-missionary to come home). Through it all we grew closer and had some great times like Disneyland, bungee jumping and singing back-up for Michael Webb and Kenneth Cope. I fell in love with him because he was so fun to have companion study with and I knew he'd make a great father! After we were married we lived in student housing at the University and I started attending school for a Bachelors degree in Art Teaching. We moved around a lot and, after he quit being self-employed, we moved in with his family to save money for a home. Well, the "home" plans turned into "baby" plans and "yada yada yada" we had Sarah. Two and a half years later we finally got our home, and one year later we had Emma.


2. Why are you homeschooling and what are you using for curriculum?

Why? I like to ask why not? No, really. What got me going, years ago, was the safety issue--I didn't like how violent the schools were becoming. Then as I researched homeschooling, and went to conferences and saw the support out there, something in me burned! That burning turned into a conviction for child-lead learning, moral based curriculum, positive peer-pressure and freedom. As far as the curriculum I'm using; I like it all, or at least parts of it all. My "method" would be called Eclectic, because I use a little from everything; Charlotte Mason (living books with a Socratic style of learning--discussion, questions, writing--as opposed to the lecture, notetaking, test method our modern schools use), Thomas Jefferson (mentor lead discussion of classics with an emphasis on scheduling the "core" phase). I'm intrigued by the Unit studies method. And when I do use some text/workbook curriculum it's Alpha Omega's Lifepac. I really like how the lessons are organized and biblically based.


3. What is your biggest fear (or top 3 fears)?

What parents' biggest fear doesn't involve their children? I fear that my children would, at any point in their lives, lose hope...past the point of no return, and fall away from Christ. Despair is a powerful tool the adversary uses. I hope they experience it just enough to understand how precious a thing it is to cultivate and hold on to.

4. If you could be a superhero, what would your powers be and what would your costume look like?

I can't think of a better superhero(s) than the 3 Nephites! I'd like to live forever, changing with the times like a chameleon, helping others with...whatever. Able to help with anything would be my power. Although, I'm a sucker for a man in uniform. Can you imagine running into a Nephite; big and strong, wearing a Marines or Airforce uniform? WOW! As for my costume, I like Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak.

5. If you had one "do-over" in your life, what would it be?

To have a career as an Art Teacher in New York City. I always day-dreamed about how fun it would be to have my own studio, students, hang out with some really weird people and have my art hang in a gallery. (...and then have my kids, of course.)

6. Three wishes...

I'll take the lighter road with this one--since wishes are different than goals.

1) my hair was thicker and my boobs were "perky".

2) we had just enough cash to get things done instantaneously, but not so much to keep us from being humble.

3) that it stayed 72 degrees always and forever, except the week of Christmas it would snow like 10 inches.

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1. Leave a comment below with the words 'Interview me'.
2. I will respond by asking you six questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers.
4. You will include this explanation in the same post.
5. When others ask to be interviewed, you will ask them six questions.

this week's soundtrack

I've decided that all bloggers are somehow--in their own way--crying out. Venting. The difficult thing with this medium of choice is that, in this day and age, we enjoy a little anonymity as well. It's best to be cautious...while being personable. Cautiously personable. What an oxymoron.

Some things in life are harder and more complicated than they should be. Imagine playing a sport--a game--and in the middle of it you start to get penalized because someone changed the rules without telling you. Pretty soon you wouldn't want to play that game anymore. While the song Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd is probably about drugs or something else, it has captured, quite eloquently, the state of emotion I find myself in. You can thank my brothers for the Hard Rock influence in my well-rounded love for all genres of music.

Hello?
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone home?
Come on, now.
I hear you're feeling down.
Well I can ease your pain,Get you on your feet again.
Relax.
I need some information first.
Just the basic facts,Can you show me where it hurts?

There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're sayin'.
When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I can't explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.

Ok.
Just a little pinprick.
There'll be no more ...Aaaaaahhhhh!
But you may feel a little sick.
Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working. Good.
That'll keep you going for the show.
Come on it's time to go.

There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're sayin'.
When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.
I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown, the dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.

back to school enthusiasm

Sorry about the hiatus y'all. It's cooled down a bit since my last post- thankfully -and we were able to go camping up Big Cottonwood and hike around Silver Lake the beginning of August.

There's something about seeing all the back-to-school supplies in the stores that gives me a rush. I absolutely love paper and pencils and notebooks and erasers and backpacks. I love the smell. I love organizing it. So, of course, now that Sarah is 5 and would be starting Kindergarten I had to get her all the supplies, even though she'll be homeschooling. That doesn't mean she can't be stylin'. We met with our local support group last week at the park. Sarah got to meet a few girls her age, while I picked the brains of the veteran homeschoolers and got the low down on the fall schedule for fieldtrips, meetings, etc. Talk about another rush! There's a wealth of support out there, curriculum, clubs; Literary, History & Math, just for homeschoolers. It's very reassuring.

We went on our first fieldtrip just yesterday to the Krishna Temple & Cultural Center in Spanish Fork. It was interesting and informative. The Temple architecture and decor was beautiful, and our tour guide was very friendly to the children. He let them ring the bell (representing God with the sound "Ohm") as they entered the temple, and play the drum used for chanting. After the tour we were all invited to eat Indian food in their cafeteria- it was delicious. Even Emma liked it.

It's rewarding to watch Sarah grasp the concept that there are people through out the world who believe differently than we do, and that they are good people, but that's why mommy decided to become a missionary "long ago". Here's a couple pictures...

The Deity Vishnushakti Lakshmi

Another deity Shyam Krishna