This Ticks Me Off!

We had a lovely Mother's Day here in Rapid City. We thought going on a picnic up in the Black Hills would be fun, so we headed up to Custer State Park after church. The rain had blown away and the sun was up. We saw bison and deer and pronghorn and wild flowers and starlings and....

We decided to go on a little walk near a river. John was funny, pointing to every rock. Sam (the dog) was having a great time exploring the area and rolling in buffalo chips. Sydney had been really upset about the trip - she prefers to stay home - but she started having fun, and even said: We should do this more often.

Just as we were heading back to the car, I saw a tick on my pants. Then one on Hannah's jacket, one on Emily, aaaaaaaaaaaaaa. We really hustled back to the car. Each time we would stop to brush a tick off someone, more would appear. It was so creapy. Seeing a tick makes you have to investigate every itch. We could see the ticks just sitting on the grass, waiting to pounce.

When we got back to the car we all stripped down and tried to get rid of all the ticks. I found two in Hannah's socks, and on one crawling on my underrooos. Yikes!

Sam was hopeless. We use frontline on him. It is an oily flea and tick contol product that is applied to the back of a dog. I'm not sure how it works, but I think it gets into the dogs system and makes him not tastey to pests. The frontline did not prevent the ticks from making an attempt.

Nathan removed several ticks from Sam before we headed home, about 15 ticks while brushing him on the porch, and like 30 while bathing Sam. None of the ticks were attached to him, they were just in his fur.

I found one tick on each of the kids heads. John's and Hannah's were not attached, but Emily's and Sydney's were. Yuck.

I dreamed of ticks all night.

I rechecked everyone this morning and we are all clear, but I'm sure there are some in the house that came in on our clothes and on Sam. I have not cleaned out the van, and I'm sure there are some in there waiting to attack. Writing about the ticks makes me have to feel around on my head.


Dog Tick
Here are some ways to prevent tick bites:

Avoid tick-infested areas, especially in May, June, and July (many local health departments and park or extension services have information on the local distribution of ticks).

Wear light-colored clothing so that ticks can be spotted more easily.

Wear long pants and tuck the pant legs into your socks or boots; wear a long-sleeved shirt and tuck it into your pants; and use a hat for added protection.

Tape the area where pants and socks meet so that ticks cannot crawl under clothing.

Spray insect repellent containing DEET (products shouldn't contain any more than 30% DEET) on clothes, or treat clothes (especially pants, socks, and shoes) with permethrin, which kills ticks on contact. Remember that these products should be used with caution.

Walk in the center of trails to avoid overhanging grass and brush.

After being outdoors, remove your clothing and wash and dry it at a high temperature.

Inspect yourself carefully and remove any attached ticks. For tick removal: grasp the tick with fine tweezers as close to the skin surface as possible, pull straight up with a slow, steady force and avoid crushing the tick or slipping off the body. Ultimately you do not want to force any material from the tick into your skin. Clean the area of tick attachment with disinfectant. Ticks (saved in a sealed container) can be submitted to the Mosquito Commission laboratory or certain local health departments for identification.

We survived the 2 day garage sale and have the sunburn to prove it. We decided that we would not sell lemonade and I am so glad. As our neighbors were setting up we found that there were cookies/lolipops/juice/hotdogs/chips/etc next door, cinnamon rolls across the street, brownies two doors down, and popcorn/lemonade/snowcones across the way. It would have been sad to see Sydney sitting there all forelorn waiting for someone to take pitty and buy lemonade.

So we did not sell food, but we did sell a few toys - one doll stroller/carseat/playpen, one doll bed, one 12 speed bike (that our neighbor gave us in TX), and one purple bike - for a grand total of $35!!!! yippee. Our friend sold most of her things, but it was a little embarrassing to have her garage sale items here at our house. They were odd items, and she had them priced way higher than I would have paid. So (since she was not here the whole time) people would come, look at the price, and ask me if I would be willing to bargain. But since it wasn't mine, and she didn't want to lower the prices, it looked like I was a little crazy. Oh well. It was fun to chat with her.

There was an incredible amount of traffic and people. This place was as busy as the county fair. If you were having a baby, you could find everything you ever dreamed of. I wish all you sisters were here, there were so many baby girl things! I really had to look to find anthing for John. I did find a nice Colombia coat for him, snow boots for me, snow shoes, sled, and a fancy ice scraper. Our neighbors are moving to TX - not so much snow there. I also bought a Johnny Jump-up toy for Mary! And some baby girl things for Sarah. Sorry Anna, my John and your Juddah were pretty much out of luck. I think I will leave the Johnny Jumper in the middle of the front room so that I will not forget to go to the post office.

Hannah and Sydney had a great time wandering around finding "hot deals". Hannah found paint ball stuff at one house. Nathan bought two guns and all the stuff to go with them. I guess he is planning to go paintballing with Rick this summer!

Neighborhood Garage Sale

Our neighborhood has a huge garage sale each Mother's Day weekend. Everyone in the area is gearing up for the big day. As we are all military, there are many people getting ready to move and dejunking, and others who just moved in and need to get rid of things that just don't fit here. It is all rather exciting.

I give our stuff away to the Salvation Army as it piles up. Usually by the time I am ready to part with it, it is in pretty sad condition. So I don't have much of anything for the garage sale, but a friend from the base asked to use our drive way, and she brought over some fun things.

Last year the girls set up a lemonade/cookie stand and made about $60. Wow. Too bad we told everyone about our success, because now 4 other families on our street are going to sell goodies. Last year we only sold the cookies on Saturday, but there was lots of traffic on Friday evening as well, so we are considering having the cookies out tonight.

I cannot remember what we charged last year. I think it was 10 cents each or 3 for a quarter, but maybe it was a quarter each or 5 for a dollar. Hannah will remember. To stay competitive we may have to drop our prices.

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Today, Sydney is trying out for the school talent show. She is hoola-hooping with three hoops. It is pretty amazing to see her skinny little tummy keep all those hoops up and spinning. I hope she gets to be in the talent show.

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Do you think I should sell the basinette?

I wish I could make the text part of my blog wider. I am getting tired of the thin column of writing in the middle of the screen. I have tried playing with the template, but I have no idea what I am doing. I know I could change to a different blog template, but then I would have to redo all the links in my sidebar, and I am lazy. And I might lose my pet duck.

Hannah brought home a note from school today from a retirement center near here. They are asking for 5th grade volunteers to come work there for 2-3 hours a week. What do you think? Have you spent time as a volunteer in a nursing home? Would it be a positive experience for her, or awkward and uncomfortable? I may go up there and visit the home and speak to the activity director before deciding.

Can you believe that the school year is nearly over? Time to start thinking about summer. Swimming lessons. Camping. Fireworks at Mt. Rushmore. Bike riding. Oregon. Which reminds me, we have a new missionary from LaGrand. I didn't talk to him, but Nathan says he knows Brandon and all those guys! fun!

This morning, Nathan went with Hannah to her Music Memory contest. He is the team coach. The 5th graders all over town have been learning a new song each month as part of their music classes. When Hannah comes home I will have to have her post the names of the songs. The only one I can remember is Fanfare For the Common Man by Copeland?.

Anywho, the kids have been listening to the songs and learning about them. Today the Black Hills Symphony will be playing selections from each piece and the kids will try to remember each title and composer. The Symphony may be tricky and play it in a different key or a different octave. It has been fun to listen as Hannah recognizes a song then rattles off the info.

The rest of us got bundled up and helped in the City Wide Clean Up project. All through the middle of Rapid City runs a little river. Could it be the Rapid River? I don't know. These really cool bike paths run all along the river. The paths are always busy with joggers, bikers, rollerbladers, dog walkers, kids on scooters, and even some cross country skiers (in winter). The path goes under streets and over little streams. I think it is my favorite thing about this town. We have only been on little parts of the path, so it was fun to explore a new section as we picked up garbage this morning.

Our cub scouts signed up to clean a section of the trail, and invited the Primaries in the three wards that meet in our building to come help. That is my kind of Primary Activity! Someone else made the flyers. No decorating. No party games. No planning. And a great chance to really do some service. As it was advertised as a family activity and parents were asked to stay and help, we were not stuck "babysitting" and waiting for parents to come pick up their kids. Yippee!

But the weather turned cold, and the forecast even called for a little snow or sleet. The Cub Scoutmaster called me last night to see if we should reschedule the clean up. Our Primary teachers had already called their kids, so we decided to go ahead and do it.

I parked our truck at the end of our section, then pulled the kids in the wagon down the path, over the bridge, under the railroad, under Main Street - all the way to McDonalds. Whew. While we running down a hill I was afraid the wagon was going to run me down.

We had a good turnout, and I think everyone had fun. Sydney was not happy about going. But when her friend Lindsey got there, Sydney decided that picking up garbage could be fun. They ran along the little dirt paths to the river finding lots of beer cans and paper. John enjoyed pulling the wagon and dropping sticks off the edge of the bridge. Emily was cold. Her little nose turned red. We were at the back of the pack, so we mainly picked up cigarettes. Yuck. Doughnuts and hot chocolate made it all worth it!

The fun is not over yet: soccer is next, then a trip to Sam's Club....

For our date this weekend we watched to movie Return To Me. It is so cute. And a little weird. No serious making out - it might pass the dad test. There are some funny old men in it, so dad might even like it. What have you been watching lately? There are a few coming out on video that I want to see - National Treasure, Because of Winn Dixie, ???

Do you rent movies every weekend? I think we used to rent movies every weekend, or a lot of weekends, but we got out of the habit in Abilene. The library had lots and lots of new movies, and then I got mad at the base movie lady one time, so I couldn't go back there.

Want to hear that story? I just remembered it. Movies were due in by noon. One day I took my movie into the store at about 12:05pm. I took it inside (with all the kids in tow) instead of dropping it into the box, because I wanted to know if I would have to pay a late fee. As I turned it in I asked about the late fee. When she said that I would be charged for another day, I said that I would like to keep the movie and watch it again, since I was paying for it again. She said that it was too late. I said (gosh I hope my voice wasn't shaky) that if I had to pay for another day, then I wanted to have the movie, please. When she said, it was too late, I said that I would like to speak to the manager. It's not like this was a huge movie store, it was a little convenience store with soda, cigarettes, and a teeny movie section. She said that the manager wasn't there, blah blah blah. I think I must have been pregnant and grouchy, I hope I have some kind of good excuse for my rudeness. So I said in as nice a voice as I could manage: "Thank you for your help. Sorry for the trouble. Have a nice day." and I left, 'cuz really I'm a chicken and I wouldn't know what to say to a manager. I walked out to the van, and buckled in the kids. When I turned around, the lady was right behind me. She again told me that I had already given her the movie and that she could not give it back. I said - that's fine. I'm fine. Later I found out that my friend was getting out of her car as I was talking to the lady and heard the conversation. Base living stinks. I'm sure she thought I was crazy. Shortly after this I had to take a stand at the checkout counter of the BX in order to get the half-off-the-clearance-price, price on a game. I am so mean. Watch out check-out people.

We are not members of a movie rental place, and mooching off of our neighbors is making me feel guilty. I am trying to decide if I want to join Blockbuster or one of those online rental places. Going into a movie rental place with all the kids makes me sweat, but would I remember to mail off a movie and order a new one? We are not really a movie buying family, but we have bought more in the last year then in the whole rest of our marriage. Odd.

When I opened up blogger I thought I had nothing to write about. HA!

4 years old

Happy Birthday Miss Em

Thinking About Sharing Time

I have Primary Sharing Time in May. I have spent the day thinking about it and trying to decide how I will work in all the topics for the month, along with Mother's Day. I would like to have the kids do something for their mothers, but what?

This weekend is Stake Conference, and I realized this morning that there is nothing on our bulletin board. We are having Primary training tomorrow, and I want our Primary room to look nice. So we headed down to the church and made our bulletin board look kind of like a grove of trees. The theme for May is Jesus Christ Restored His Church in the Latter Days. I will be able to add things to the board as we discuss the restoration of the gospel. It looks nice (if I do say so myself.)

Here is one interesting little fact that I found today: The King James Version of the Bible took 50 scholars 7 years to translate into English, translating at the rate of one page per day. Joseph Smith, on the other hand, translated the Book of Mormon at the rate of 10 pages per day, completing the task in 85 days! I would be happy to just read the book in that amount of time.

Primary is so cool.

Humanitarian Project

Tomorrow night for Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment meeting we are putting together baby kits for the Humanitarian Project. It is such a fun idea. I have knit two pairs of baby booties to donate, and I am going to sew two little layette gowns. We will be sewing recieving blankets that night, and we will also put together the packets. Each Newborn Kit includes

1 double receiving blanket (see receiving blanket guidelines)

4 cloth diapers (do not include disposable diapers)

4 diaper safety pins

1 pair booties or baby socks

2 regular-size bars of soap (Ivory or other non-allergenic brand)

1 newborn layette gown (please, no footed sleepers; see layette gown guidelines)

Doesn't that sound like fun?

Mopping

Mopping?

We have had a variety of flooring in the homes we have lived in. My favorite was the tile and carpeting in Pensacola. The tile was just the color of the sand and it always looked so clean and nice. It was a lot to sweep, but it only needed to be spot-mopped when sticky.

I did not like the wood flooring in Texas. I know it was great because it had lasted so many years, but I hated the feel of the grit on my bare feet. I also never wanted to sit on the ground to play with the kids. I'm sure a few rugs would have solved that problem. It was very easy to clean with the dust mop - just a few minutes to sweep through the whole house, then shake the dust outside. It also only needed water on the mop to clean it.

Now we have carpet and cheapy linoleum. Having carpet is like having extra furniture. We spend a lot of time on the carpet - watching a movie, laying down train tracks, bronco rides, etc. I like carpet. I do not mind the linoleum, but I do not know how to keep it clean and shiny. It gets really grimy and seems to also keep a build-up of dirt/grease even after mopping. I was using Mop and Glow, and that would make it shiny, but it definitely left a film. I don't know what to use - Pinesol? Mr. Clean? just water? Maybe it is my mopping technique that needs work. I just swish around a large string mop - maybe I need to get on my hands and knees and really scrub.

How do you keep your floors clean?

Spring Soccer

Woo Hoo, Sydney!



Go Hannah!


The first Saturday of soccer took us all over town. Sydney practices at the field right by our house, but her games are about 5 miles away. Hannah practices at a field about 2 miles away, but her games are right by our house. It will be great to just let Hannah walk on over to the park when they both play at the same time. It is a good thing we can walk, because soccer mom's are crazy drivers - we already saw one accident out there.

I seem to have inherited the yelling gene. I find myself yelling things like "Let's go sports fans" and "Sacrifice your body for the ball." Just kidding, Dad. I don't actually yell your famous sloguns, I have a few of my own - "Get the ball" "Help her out" "WOOHOO." It's a good thing Nathan is a yeller, too. He's too busy to notice me making a fool of myself. So far the kids are still willing to sit near us at games, but it won't be long 'til Hannah starts to cringe when I pull out the blow-horn.

John's loves our train set - the wooden one that you can put together all kinds of ways. He really likes to push his "cars" on the tracks, and he carries a train engine with him all over the place. Emily does not love playing trains with John. Emily is the track builder, and though John doesn't mean to, he often knocks over the bridges and makes Emily cry.

I 've been trying to get John to call the train a "train" or a "choo-choo train" but he calls them "cars". Then, as I was reading his favorite book "Freight Train" I noticed that the first pages of the book tell you the names of the different parts of the train - "hopper car" "cattle car" "box car" etc. They really are called cars! He is so smart!

Anyway, one of the engines has a battery (well, 3 of them have batteries, but only one battery is still going...and going...and going) I saw John carrying two engines this morning. Then I heard John yelling and Sam the dog ran past me. I though Sam took John's train, so I ran after Sam. I could hear that little engine chugging away. I found the train all tangled up in Sam-the-dog's long hair. Poor doggy. I had to cut the train off of him. That thing is dangerous. Good thing it wasn't Emily's hair.

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Jump John

John is trying to jump. Getting both feet off the ground is hard work. Even harder is capturing a picture of those feet off the ground with a digital camera. Sydney was our champion jumper. She would jump off of anything and usually land on her feet. John is still pretty dangerous. He thinks he can jump off the bottom step, but...

Syd and John

Han

Easter

I Don't Like

I don't like doing fractions.
I don't like doing chores.
I hate to do my spelling
When I'd rather play outdoors.

I don't like peas or broccoli.
I don't like writing letters.
I don't like taking bubble baths,
Or wearing itchy sweaters.

I don't like washing dishes.
I don't like pouring rain.
But what I really like to do
Is sit here and complain!

- Crystal Bowman

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I'm trying to do better, I really am. But I really do enjoy complaining.

I am worried about little Hannah. We sent the kids to school this year and I have been pleasantly suprised by their school. I really like the principal and their teachers. The kids are both very smart and are in accelerated groups (which makes me feel like I can pat my self on the back.) But Hannah is still lonely. My main reason for sending her to school was because she was lonely. In Florida and Texas she had 2-3 close homeschooling friends, but when we moved here we did not find any homeschoolers her age, and I did not make the effort to find a good homeschooling group to join. So she was lonely. And with all the interaction with kids at school, she still seems lonely.

John with Grandma and Grandpa M.

We spent the week in Wyoming with Nathan's family for his grandfather's funeral. Nathan's grandfather was the most healthy and fit grandpa I had ever seen - he walked daily for as long as I knew him, until just last year. He had a full head of lovely white hair. He loved banana splits. Remember the Ice Cream Company in CA? He enjoyed eating there whenever they were visiting Nathan's parents - I really think he would have loved the Lalapalooza.

It was great to see Nathan's family in action. This side of the family does not host family reunions, so though I knew his Aunts and Uncles, I did not know many of the cousins. There were so many grandchildren and great-grandchildren that we filled the Chapel for the service, then filled the Cultural Hall for the dinner. The Relief Society was incredible, providing delicious dinners in both Green River and in North Platt.

200,000

The van rolled over to 200,00 miles this week. Ah, what a great car. Can you believe it is still alive? The '89 Dodge Caravan is so cool. We have had it 8 years and it has taken us all over the USA - from Oregon to Florida, from Florida to Illinois and back, from Florida to Texas to Utah to South Dakota. Well, just check out the map below, the van was there.

The van is getting ugly, but it is free transportation. The humidity in Florida dissolved the glue in the over head liner, so it droops. The tan upholstery is a little darker than is used to be, and recently I noticed a little tear in the driver's seat. The best thing about the van is that the interior is the exact same color as Sam's coat, so all of his dog hair just blends right in.

The tape player stopped working a couple years ago, and this winter the radio started flickering on and off. The back door no longer holds itself open, so I have to prop it open with a stick. That is a little embarrassing, so now I just put all the groceries on the side.

The van has been pretty lucky. It has never been in a serious accident, and we really haven't had to replace any major parts (yet). Sadly, though, just last Sunday an older gentleman pulled out of his parking space and hit the van as Nathan was driving past him. It was very sad, but there really was not much damage. The left rear light cover was hit and broken. Nathan collected all the pieces and glued it back together (looks mighty pretty) Other than that, when we lived in FL, I had a flat tire, Nathan broke (and replaced) a side rear window, and he also replaced the gears in the driver's side window. I know that we had to have some work done, but I can't remember the problem - the ignition? Nathan is great about checking the oil and doing all that stuff.

We are considering replacing the van with something a little newer, but a car payment seems like such a waste of Nathan's raise. I go back and forth between wanting a new car, and thinking that the van can make it one more year. The van has been a good friend to me. It has given me a lot of freedom. While we could probably get by with just the truck, it was no fun for me when we just had one car. Long trips are a thing of the past for the van, and I dread driving to Oregon with us all smooshed into the truck. But if we hold off on a new car, maybe we could afford to rent a camper to take on the trip.

Nathan heard a poem about an old trusty car on NPR the other day. Reminded me of the van(and the 77 Toyota Corolla that the van replaced) but he is gone right now, and I cannot find it on the NPR site. I will link to the poem when he gets back.

East Coast or Bust

Map was too big and sinking my side bar.

I saw this cool map at Donna's site. I counted a couple of states that we mostly just drove through - like Mississippi. We stopped at a couple of rest stops there, but that's really all. The restrooms had cool all in one handwashing/drying sinks. Do you think that counts?

Maybe next summer we will be able to swing over to visit Mary and Randy. Then my map would be a little more balanced.

Where have you been?

Snow?

We have been enjoying beautiful spring weather. Until yesterday. We have snow again. I am strangely excited about the snow. Sam and I went on our walk this morning and it was beautiful. Last year the biggest snowfall was in March, so I guess this is just how South Dakota likes to do things.

When Do I Get a Turn?

I had a bad dream that I was running around during Sacrament Meeting trying to get my sharing time ready to go. It was so stressful. I try really hard to have everything all ready before Primary. It is important to me that we sit in the front and really minimize all the running around and chatting in the halls during Primary. I need to get this thing planned.

I have had a hard time, this week, deciding how to present the topic for the week - Christ Organized His Church. I think I am going to use the paper cup tower that the missionaries use to show how he built his church and how it fell apart as the 12 apostles died. Then we'll talk about the church today and rebuild the tower. I just am not exactly sure how to do it. We will also play a matching game with pictures from the gospel art kit of things from today and things from Christ's time -baptism, blessing, temple, 12 apostles, sacrament, etc. I think that will go okay. In Senior Primary I will talk more about the Keys of the Priesthood, and use the scriptures.

Lately I feel like I am losing Jr. Primary. I don't know how to pick helpers so that no one gets hurt feelings. We have those sticks that you can pull out with the kids names, but that wastes a lot of time. Sometimes we pass around an object while we sing, and whoever ends up with it gets to be the helper. But we can't do that every week, and even then, one little boy always starts yelling, "When is it my turn?" I think tomorrow I will ask each teacher to call on a child from their class to come help. Then they can keep track of who got a turn last time, etc. That should work.

That 70's Party

Get Down

We had fun at the 70's party. I think that was in January. The group who put on the party did a great job with the decorations. They covered all the walls of the community center with black plastic, then hung glittery stars and record covers on the walls. Records also hung from the ceiling. They had a smoke machine and a disco ball. It was funny to see everyone all decked out. Nathan is a crazy dancer, I know he loves that kind of thing, but it is rather painful for me to have to dance. Oh well. We had fun, but everyone started getting a little silly (too many jello shots) so we headed home after about an hour and a half. A friend of mine from church heard about the party and let me borrow a dress that was her mother's. I also wore her moms funky white 5" platform shoes. Fun!

Neighborhood Woes Continued

So here's how it's going. After a confusing day of phone calls I got to hear the sordid details of the argument between to two neighbors. (one insulted the other's child and threatened to get Family Advocacy involved - a rather serious threat as it would affect her husband's career.) I was feeling grouchy at both of them, and I hate that feeling, so I decided the best thing to do for me, was to sincerely apologize for myself. I called N2 and apoligized for my thoughless actions and told her how I could see how I hurt her feelings. When she tried to turn the conversation to N1 bashing I changed the subject and we talked preschools. I felt a little like Anne apoligizing to Mrs. Rachel . I did feel much better after that, then called N1 and apoligized for causing her any additional hurt and again offered to take her out to lunch. I think things are pretty well resolved on my part, but I feel bad that N1 and N2 are not getting along, I'm not willing to get any more involved in that, though.

Neighborhood Woes

Neighbor #1 is pregnant. Neighbor #2 was going to have a babyshower for N1, but they are no longer friends. I sadly am involved in the fight, now. I told N1 that maybe after the baby comes we could get together with some of the ladies for lunch, instead of a babyshower. N2 feels that I have stepped on her toes and that if N1 doesn't want a shower from her, then she shouldn't have one at all. Whoopsie! I have done my best to apologize to N2. I think she is no longer mad at me. It is absolute sillyness. I wrote an entire novel about the whole saga, but it really comes down to a lot of immature behavior by some of us who should know better. Maybe Hannah has some advice for me, as this is exactly what she and her friends do all the time. Silly.

MUD

Mud is very nice to feel
All squishy-squash between the toes!
I'd rather wade in wiggly mud
Then smell a yellow rose.

Nobody else but the rosebush knows
How nice mud feels
Between the toes.
--Polly Chase Boyden

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We have been having a little snow at night, and rain in the day, so we have MUD! On our walk this morning, Sam had to "go". I found a nice empty lot and let him sniff around. As I followed him my feet got heavier and heavier, and I got taller and taller. I had so much mud on my tennis shoes that I had to scrape them off and scuff around for a few minutes before I could walk. The shoes stayed outside.

This Week

*=finished
*Jog each day - woohoo for me
Go through kids' drawers - still need to do Hannah's
*Move art supplies down to the dungeon
*Shop for couch
*Talk to Nursery leaders
Shop for more nursery toys - I will wait until I have the new classes ready to go
Plan Sharing Time
*Plan dinners
*Clean out fridge
*Go grocery shopping
*City band practice
*Squadron wives coffee
-Bake cookies for neighbor that is driving me crazy (forget the cookies, but I did talk to her for way to long yesterday, I think that is good enough)
*Blog about neighborhood soap opera
Fabric for Easter dresses
Plan date night

Whew. Busy week ahead, but it having it all written down makes me feel better.

Happy Birthday Sydney

Party On


YeeHaw!


Talent


Just Little

Reverence

"When we meet to learn the doctrines of the gospel, it should be in a spirit of reverence. The world grows increasingly noisy. This trend to more noise, more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity, less formality is not coincidental nor innocent nor harmless.

"The first order issued by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of communication of those he intends to conquer. Irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in both mind and spirit. Reverence invites revelation." (Elder Boyd K. Packer) (as a side note, this was written in 1991 - before widespread cellphone and gameboy useage, I think things have only gotten noisier.)

Last week we had a Primary Teacher Training and we talked about reverence. We have the most incredible Primary teachers here. This is the second training that I have been in charge of, and once again nearly every teacher came. I have worked in Primaries where we would have been thrilled if even 3 teachers came to an inservice meeting. I felt guilting asking them to give up their time, but it was great to have a chance to hear their struggles and questions and insight.

I have learned so much from them. A couple of weeks ago there was a 9 year old boy who was having a hard time staying in his seat. He really wanted to sit by his older brother, but we have learned that that is not such a good idea. Anyway, he kept scooting from chair to chair heading toward the back of the room. I had talked to him earlier and really did not want to get up and go talk to him again, because it was right in the middle of Sharing Time, and I knew that my getting up would be way more disruptive than letting him move around. Next thing you know, Sister K. got up, put her arm around the boy, and led him back to sit next to her. She gave him such a big loving smile, and he smiled right back at her. He stayed by her side the rest of the time and really responded to her. When he started to get antsy - she would smile at him, or put her arm around him, and he would smile and calm down. He reminded me of a puppy - very active and playful, and willing to do anything for a little attention - especially loving attention. It was great. And way more affective than my method.

Anyway, back to reverence. We live in a pretty small ward, but we have an enormous nursery. We have 30 nursery aged kids now, with 17 more coming into nursery before the year is up. There are less than 10 active YW in our ward, so you can see that things are a little lopsided. Two other wards meet in our building - one ward has 4 nursery children and the other has a nursery of 2. Most of our nursery children are the oldest child in their families, so we also have lots of young, first time parents. This makes our Sacrament Meeting very lively. I have never been to such a loud ward. There is always a roar in the chapel. Sometimes speakers comment about how great it is to hear the little ones, and sometimes I agree that it is nice to have the little ones there, but sometimes I think we let things get way too out of hand. I have noticed that parents bring large bags full of treats and arts and crafts (one time I saw fingerpainting in a pew near us).

I think it is overkill. I think these kids can learn how to be reverent. I think we need to show our children our respect for the chapel and our respect for them by insisting upon reverence. Nathan and I have talked about it and we are no longer bringing notebooks for the kids to color in. And no more snacks. (ok maybe cheerios for John, but not 3 big bags of fishies and pretzels and raisins) Last week one mom in a pew near us opened a loud bag of chips for her kids. I'm thinking that if your bag of potato chips is louder than the roar of the crowd, then maybe you need to rethink your snack for Sacrament Meeting.

President David O. McKay said that “reverence is profound respect mingled with love." During Primary the children are suprisingly reverent. Do you have any ideas for fostering reverence in the Chapel?

Hey Sarah, How are you Feeling?

I just saw these beautiful baby pictures on Donna's Blog. It made me remember that you are due in a few weeks. How are you feeling? Any big belly pictures to share? I wish I could be there to do your dishes and bake some bread. I love you sista!


Baby John


Just 18 months ago

The Laundry

I actually like doing laundry. I like the smell of clean warm clothes. I like the piles of sorted dirty laundry. I like being careful with the handwashing. I like Spray & Wash and Clorox 2. My favorite laundry tool is the 3 bag laundry sorter. The laundry room is right outside of the girls rooms, they just walk down the hall to sort their day's dirty clothes into darks, colors, and whites.

For a very long time I didn't need a missing sock basket, and socks were never without their mate. The sock snatcher appeared while I was pregnant with John and I now have a basket the lonely socks. The sock basket is a catch-all and also holds a collection of clothes that are too small, out of season, or things that I am hiding because, though Sydney loves it, it is just not cute.

To keep the laundry in order I do two loads a day. I throw in one load in the morning, then another in the evening. I rarely leave dry clean clothes in a basket - Emily and John like to help with the folding (and unfolding if I am not fast enough.) I fold the clothes onto the ironing board (I do not iron, so it needs to be used for something) making a stack for each child.

But I always seem to be living on the edge - just one missed day of wash away from complete disaster. If I don't wash the whites every other day, then I will be without underoos; if I miss washing a load of towels, I may have to streak out of the bathroom in a hooded ducky towel.

I have been flirting with disaster this week. I did not do a single load on Sunday or Monday. The sorting baskets were bulging with dirty socks and jeans. I moved the load of clean towels into a basket and did not fold them for two days. I had to wash a load of darks 2 times, because I did not move them to the dryer and they were not smelling so fresh. I have been catching up today, but just before I sat down to type this, I went in to fold the clothes in the dryer. Instead of warm fluffy......heavy wet. Dang. I forgot to start the dryer.

John Talks

I cannot remember when the girls started talking, but I have had a feeling that John should be saying more words. He has his 18 month check up later this month, and it has made me just a little worried that he does not say very many words. It made me think of Cushla and Her Books, by Dorothy Butler.

So for the last couple of weeks I have been making sure to read John 5-10 books a day. Let me just say that I do read to that poor little guy, but not as often as I should. And certainly not as often as I read to Hannah. At first he would sit for maybe 1 book and only if it was quick and catchy. Sometimes he would not let me turn the pages. He would just get up and wander away part way through a story. But now he really likes to read with me. He gets all cosy in my lap, and waits for me to get more books.

Today I pulled out Freight Train and John said "Choo Choo" and kept saying it. Even when I was done reading he pulled out the train book, and said "choo-choo" while turning the pages. As we were getting ready to go out this morning I asked him to get his boots. John went right to his room, got a boot and brought it to me saying "Boot!" He was saying a few things before (and choo-choo and boot are not his only words, just new ones) but I think he is talking even more now.

John's Favorite Books:
The Spooky Old Tree
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See
Freight Train
I've Been Working on the Railroad
The Going to Bed Book
Mother Goose
Good Night Moon
Where's Spot
5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Snowflakes

While we waited for Hannah after piano lessons, the light was just right to see individual snowflakes as they landed on the windows of the van. They are so beautiful and unique.

I just learned that while no two snowflakes are exacty alike, they usually form in a few categories, and there are snowflake guides to help you identify your snowflake. That site has some other cool information about snowflakes like: they grow snowflakes all year long to study, and sometimes snowflakes form 12 or 3 sides.


snowflake pictures found at www.snowflake.com

This site also has some beautiful pictures of snowflakes.

**************

The more it snows
TiddlyPom
The more it goes
TiddlyPom
The more it goes
TiddlyPom
On snowing.

And nobody know
TiddlyPom
How cold my toes
TiddlyPom
How cold my toes
TiddlyPom
Are growing.
--AAMilne

Yee Haw

Have you seen the PBS programs that take families "back in time" to live like a pioneer or a colonist? Now you can apply to be a participant on the Texas Ranch House. Yee Haw!

I have enjoyed watching those programs in the past, staying up past my bedtime to see what happens, but then the actual show is a bit disappointing. The producers focus on conflict and bickering between the characters instead of the things I am really interested in - the daily struggle to fix dinner without a stove, keeping the kids clean, and staying warm. Do the characters feel like they have more time in their lives to think without the distractions of TV, telephone, computer, etc, or does survival leave them without spare time.

I'm sure that the conflict is more interesting in a TV program, but it would be nice if maybe there was a boring documentary to go along with the ---house shows - less Surviver, more History Channel. You know, kind of to show how they keep bread and cheese fresh without ziplock bags, what people do in the evenings without light, if the people begin to get creative with the tools that they are allowed, do they plant a garden, what do they eat while they wait for the garden, etc.

Ya'll should apply. Mom, Dad, and Erin would be grrrreat on the show. Dad will just need to polish up his snakeskin boots, dust of the W/M brand, and mosy on down to Tejas.

Pot Luck

Is it bad form to take a store-bought lasagna to a pot luck dinner? The invitation says to bring a family favorite along with a recipe, but I cannot think of anything travels well. Why do these kinds of things stress me out. It is not a big deal. I will just take the lasagna and have a nice time. Ok.

Thursday

Pinewood Derby Dream Car
Last night was the big PineWood Derby for our church Cub Scout troop.
I am not directly involved in the cub scout program, but I am trying to be supportive, so our family went to watch the excitement. And wow! was it exciting. The dads seemed every bit as nervous as the boys. They raced those little cars all evening. Most of the boys in Nathan's Boy Scout troop have little brothers in cub scouts, so they helped keep score for a while. I have never been to a pinewood derby before, and I had no idea it was such a big deal.

A couple of weeks ago we handed out these little wooden cars to the boys. They shaped them, and painted them until their cars looked just right. Last night the boys registered their cars - the cars were weighed, and given a number, then they raced them two at a time down a long track. Over and over again. One of the dads has an auto body shop, so his boys' cars were very shiny. The dad said that the paint is so heavy that he had to really carve down the cars to keep them in the right weight range.

I was most impressed by all the families there to watch. We had a gym full of people there just to watch some little cars roll down a track. And they stayed (and cheered) all evening. Nathan says his mom still has his grand champion pinewood derby car. It will be John's turn soon.

Em and Dad-o
Emily was snuggling Nathan with her head on his chest. She said, "My heart is in your heart." She could feel his heart beating. She loves him.


Fricka Fracka ##@*$#
John is jabbering and even says some real words, like ball and down and spoon and shoe. Mainly, though, he sounds like the father in A Christmas Story (You'll shoot your eye out), cursing under his breath. John has a very forceful Jabber.

"... and reflect on the truth that when people ask for advice they very rarely want your advice and will go ahead and do what they want to do anyway, no matter what you say. That applied in every sort of case; it was a human truth of universal application, but one which most people know little or nothing about." - Mma Ramotswe (in The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith)

Mma Ramotswe is very clever. It is true that when I ask for advice, what I really want is someone to agree with my favorite option and make me feel good about the choice I am making. So I need your advice. Nathan and I are going to a 70's party. I have to decide what to wear. I have a white "peasant blouse" that I could wear with either a skirt or flare jeans (I think this is the no risk outfit.) Or I bought a paisley dress with a wide collar that, though it fits me, is not terribly flattering, but would go great with Nathan's tan cordroy suit and wide brown tie (There is more risk here as this is obviously a vintage outfit, and maybe not so cute, but...) Any advice?

To a Mixer (and a Husband)

The mixer died
Sounding like an injured walrus
Making bread by hand
Hurts my wrist (am I getting old?)
Nathan dissected the beast
Found the ailment
Could not find a part anywhere in town
He drilled a hole in a penny
Replaced the broken widgit
It Worked!
The mixer lives!
Homemade rolls,
cinnamon rolls,
chocolate chip cookies,
whipped cream,
grated potatoes,
orange julius,
blueberry milk shakes...
Which should I make first?

Kids meals now come with choices. Did you know this? I am not a fun mom, so we never get kids meals - we just get one large meal and share the fries and soda. But today I took Emily and John to lunch at BurgerKing and suprised Emily by getting her a kids meal. I did this because I just wanted water and I did not want to have a big pile of fries that I would be required to finish. We were able to get chocolate milk (or a juice box, or regular milk) and applesauce instead of soda and fries. That is kind of nice. And maybe a little healthier.

Watching John play with the applesauce reminded me of when I was a kid. I had a large gap between my front teeth and I was able to suck applesauce between those teeth. I was very proud of that. Mom and Dad canned the applesauce at the church cannery and it always seemed to have those hard seed casing things in it. Sucking the applesauce was just another way to strain it. Mom and Dad were nice enough to send me to the orthodontist, so when you come over you will not get to see me perform that fancy trick. None of our kids have the gap between their teeth. Hopefully they will inherit Nathan's healthy, cavity-free smile.

I don't know why

When I post a new letter here on my blog I cannot see it until the next day. Is that normal? It seems like I used to be able to click refresh, then see the new post. Here's the problem: sometimes I need to see what I typed - in my actual blog - to know if I need to edit, but the most recent notes don't show up for me until the next day. I found a way to see it, though. First I click on my sidebar and visit Donna then I use her sidebar to visit Poppin's Blog, then I click on her sidebar link to my blog, which brings me back here to Rapid Life. For some reason I can see the most recent items from there and I can see if I need to change anything. So I know the new posts are out there somewhere, but when I try to head back to my blog without the Poppin's blog assistance my newest blurbs are missing. They do exist in the edit mode of my blog, but not on the public screen. What does it mean?

Text Color

Thanks to meander I can change the color of my writing. And the Font...and the size.

Red and
Yellow and
Pink and
Green.
Purple and
Orange and
Blue.
Can you type a rainbow,
Type a rainbow,
Type a rainbow,
Too?

Don't let this fool you into thinking I know what I am doing here. I have just spent the last hour trying to link directly to meander's blog, but it is not working. Maybe the links don't like red. Maybe they prefer PURPLE!

Girl Stuff

This is going to be about birth control, so it that makes you blush go aheah and stop reading (Dad).

It is time for me to learn how to not get pregnant. We love all these little cuties around here, but it is not time to have another one. I am a birth control drop-out and I just don't know all that much about it, so I have been working to educate myself. For a little gyn history I will tell you that the only prescription birth control I have ever been on is DepoProvera (a hormonal shot) I had two shots when Hannah was a wee babe (10 years ago) and I hated it. Hannah was 3 years old before my cycle returned. Since then I have relied mainly on breastfeeding and luck. My cycle recently returned (still breastfeeding John, but apparently not enough) just in time for Nathan to come home (do you think my ovaries knew he was returning.) Danger!

So the question is how do grown ups make-out without worry? We are young and not interested in permanent solutions. I am also not terribly interested in the pill or other hormone prescriptions - I am crazy/moody enough already. IUD/diaphram = yucka.

I checked out a book called Taking Charge of you Fertility by Toni Weschler. It is very fascinating. She really explains how your cycle works and how to chart your fertility/ovulation. She makes "Aunt Flow" a much less mysterious visitor. I may buy this book for my sister who is hoping to have a baby. I think it would be really great for her, as she has been on the pill forever, and keeping track would help her know if she is actually ovulating. Though it seems scary to me, I have a feeling that all the temperature taking/cervical fluid checking is way more helpful and foolproof when you are trying to conceive. Maybe I just don't have enough faith in myself. Her system of recording your temps, etc is very similar to Natural Family Planning (which I know nothing about.) The difference (I think) is that Toni recommends using birth control when you show signs of fertility while NFP recommends abstaining.

So, now I'm back to the main question. Is everyone out there on the pill? Do most people just live on faith that whatever happens is for a good reason? IS 4 kids a big family? It seems big to me when we all go to the store together, but sometimes it seems average or small. When we just had one little one, we had several friends with 4 kids. The ladies would all talk about being "done" and it surprised me. Four children did not seem to be all that many. Now I am where they were, and I can see what they meant. (I was so judgmental when Hannah was little. I remember one friend whose microwave as always crusty and gross. How could she let it get that bad? Today I opened the microwave to heat up some water for instant oatmeal, and I noticed that my microwave had stalactites and stalagmite growing. Whoops. Science project!)

Any advice is appreciated, though not required.

A Long Weekend with Nothing to Do

Nathan had today off, and there is no school on Monday or Tuesday. I think we will just stay cozy and warm in our house. We had planned to go to the Temple this weekend, but with the weather so cold and the wind blowing so hard, we decided that an 8 hour drive on country roads through North Dakota was not a good idea.

Tonight Nathan is working on a little project, I am typing, Emily and Syd are playing with the Little People train, John is in bed, and Han is playing an intense game on the Gamecube (only because Nathan is workingin the garage.)

So what do you do when you have no where to be and nothing to do?

I think I will be like the Mama (of The Five Little Monkeys With Nothing To Do) and have my 4 little monkeys pick up and pick up and pick up.

Speaking of Bears

The Boy Scouts call Nathan - Brother Bear. It is fun to hear them talk to him at church. Even their parents call him Brother Bear. Donna posted this list of bear definitions.

To hold up; support.
To carry from one place to another; transport.
To carry in the mind; harbor: bear a grudge.
To transmit at large; relate: bearing glad tidings.
To have as a visible characteristic: bore a scar on the left arm.
To have as a quality; exhibit: “A thousand different shapes it bears” (Abraham Cowley).
To carry (oneself) in a specified way; conduct: She bore herself with dignity.
To be accountable for; assume: bearing heavy responsibilities.
To have a tolerance for; endure: couldn't bear his lying.
To call for; warrant: This case bears investigation.
To give birth to: bore six children in five years.
To produce; yield: plants bearing flowers.
To offer; render: I will bear witness to the deed.
To move by or as if by steady pressure; push: “boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (F. Scott Fitzgerald).
(from www.dictionary.com)


Jan Brett

More Books

I forgot another group of books that I enjoyed last year - Prairie Books:
Various Willa Cather books
Giants in the Earth
Dog of Discovery (and other Lewis and Clark books)
The Rapid City Indian School
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

How could I forget those? Giants in the Earth and Bury My Heart were both excellent books that have really stayed with me this year.

In other book news, John was a terror at the Library last night. He has fast feet and managed to pull books-on-tape off the rack, then he pushed in a section of books in the H-J area. Yikes, Bad Mom! (Oh man, I am one of those moms.) Looking back I can see that I did not plan well for our trip. I could not access the online catalog from home, I did not bring my big book bag, I did not bring the backpack for John to ride in, and I did not bring change for the snack machine. Needless to say, I did not get to go to the grown-up book section. Bummer.

Library Day

Monday is Library Day! It is time for me to find some new books to read. Here are some favorites from last year:

I like to read books on one topic for a while, then switch to another. Sometimes I get stuck on one author and that leads me to a new topic. I am just going to list a few books from each subject.

I started last year reading nonfiction/help-me-be-a-better-mom books:
Queen Bees and Wanna Bees
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading
What I Wish You Knew
Sink Reflections
Body For Life

Then I decided I was already pretty good (hehe) and I Journeyed to Africa:
Emma's War
Cry the Beloved Country
Ladies #1 Detective Agency

Next I read lots of WWII:
The Quilt
Citizen Soldiers
Band of Brothers
The English Patient
The Soldier's Return

I am still reading WWII books, but I am searching for a new topic, any ideas?

Thought for Sunday

"We must keep our faith simple and our worship pure. Religion is more than a ritual; it is righteousness. "
—President James E. Faust
Ensign, May 1999, 18

Nate is Great!

On the anniversery of our marriage I want to list 30 things I love about my sweet husband, in no particular order.

1. He has beautiful brown eyes
2. He is in great shape - he can still stand in front of the stage at church and jump right up there.
3. He likes to hold my hand.
4. He is home!
5. He calls me in the middle of the day just to say hi
6. He always has an interesting hobby.
7. He knows the names of all the birds, and always has his binoculars in the truck to get a closer look.
8. He takes good care of our cars and knows enough about them to keep the van running (no small task)
9. He works hard to keep us safe and comfortable
10. He likes his job.
11. He encourages me to stay home while the kids are young.
12. He encourages me to take care of myself.
13. He likes our kids, and they have fun with him.
14. He does not embarrass me or insult me in public (or at home)
15. He sings.
16. He is great at meeting people and makes friends easily.
17. He has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ, he honors his Priesthood, and takes serious his callings.
18. He is brave.
19. He makes nice furniture for our home.
20. He is always ready to help someone in need.
21. He is quick to wash the dishes after dinner and take out the trash.
22. He changes diapers.
23. He takes lots of pictures of us and makes slideshows - fun for FHE.
24. He likes my parents.
25. He can throw a baseball really, really far.
26. He has freckles.
27. He is good at storytelling and makes me laugh.
28. He makes a mean rootbeer float.
29. He is a careful driver.
30. Nathan is Hott!

I am such a lucky girl. Happy Anniversary to me!

Snow

Have you noticed the cute little weather girl on my sidebar. I saw one on some other blog, and I think I must be getting the hang of figuring out my template, because she appeared right where I wanted her on just my first try. Apparently she will change clothes to reflect the current weather here. There were lots of people to choose from and also locations all over the world. Notice the hooded coat she is wearing tonight. It is very cold here. It says -11 F. Woe. She might need another layer or two.

We have about 6 inches of beautiful snow on the ground, and it is so cold that we could not make a snowman or even a proper snowball this afternoon, the snow just will not stick together.

I rigged a harness for Sam and attached it to our little red sled. Sam pulled John around the block (I walked with them with Sam on his leash, as John is not quite ready to be a musher.) It was very cute, but I am going to see if I can find information about harnesses for dogs and improve my design. Sam did a good job, but he seem a little nervous. John had a great time, though.

Don't Scrape the Bottom

I am considering a cookbook for the average cook. Meals that sometimes have to sit on the back burner while the table is set, little hands are washed, arguments are settled, and dad finds his way home. You know, basic foods, simple ingredients, meals for families. Like tonight - I fixed a new favorite -

Cheesy Potato Soup:
6 potatoes pealed and chopped into chunks
1/2 of a small onion (optional, mom)
1 or 2 celery stalks
1 or 2 carrots peeled and chopped
chicken broth or water (I have just started using chicken broth, thank you Laurie, and it really adds flavor)
Boil all that in a large pot until the potatoes become soft. Then add some milk (or cream - better with cream) and some American cheese slices until your soup thickens and looks a little cheesy. Tonight I added some broccoli and leftover ham. Delish.

The secret that is sure to catch the eye of my readers is this: For the best flavor - DON'T SCRAPE THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN. That thick layer of blackened potato or beans or rice adds insulation and is best left undisturbed.

Resolutions

Vacation is over. It is time to get back to business. It has been a lovely 2 weeks with Nathan home, and no school, and no travelling, and sleeping in, and late meals, and lots of yummy snacks. But it is nice to get back to work. It is also time to get back in shape, ladies. I got up and took Sam jogging this morning. It is very cold here. I think I had a bit of ice on my eyelashes.

I imagine tonight Dad will hold his annual Family Home Evening about setting goals. I have been thinking about what I want improve this year. I like Mary's idea, I want to do a better job of celebrating with cousins and Aunties, even if we just celebrate through the mail.

I want to read a little more, and keep track of the books that I have read. I want to read a few more grown up books (though I do love to read whatever Hannah is reading, this week The Dragon Rider and books about Orville Wright) and I want to read more books aloud (current read aloud - Chronicles of Narnia)

We have a big formal dinner/dance at the end of February and I intend to look smashing. So, it is time to get jogging, drink more water, and even lift a little weights. Also I need to find a dress. Help. Maybe I can get Erin to find a dress for me. I have done just a little looking, and it appears that most formals do not come with sleeves.

I hope to keep up with the Sunday School and Relief Society readings. I don't get to go to those classes, but I want to read the Doctrine and Covenants this year. Someone gave me the RS book for the year, but I don't even know which prophet we are studying. I like to do my scripture studying while I am putting John to bed. I will dig though my Sunday bag and find the RS book and let you know who we will be reading about, after nap time.

I think that covers the 3 areas, Dad: Spiritual, Physical, Mental. For fun, I want to do a little knitting. Nathan made me a nice set of double pointed knitting needles and I made Emily a fun furry hat. Now I want to get some chunky wool and make myself a hat. After that I want to try some socks.

We must have been good

Nathan made it home safe and sound.

He's Home

We were able to find the perfect Christmas tree before Santa made his visit.

Searching

We must have been good this year.

Happy New Year!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Not a creature was stirring


The children were nestled all snug in their beds


Mama in her kerchief andI in my hat had just settled down for a long winter's nap.


I sprang from my bed


Away to the window I flew like a flash


and 8 tiny reindeer


On Dasher, On Dancer


His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry.


Happy Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!

Maybe the mice have run off with the scissors...

I am trying to do a wee bit of sewing, but all of the scissors in the house have disappeared. Somewhere around here I have 2 pairs of good sewing scissors, 2 pairs of scissors that used to be sewing scissors but are no longer sharp, and 6 or so kid scissors. I can only find 1 pair of blunt-nosed, green-handled kids scissors. They are great for snipping strings, but I NEED some real scissors. I will even settle for the worn out ex-sewing scissors.

In other news, I noticed mouse droppings in the garage last week, so I set out a trap. The next day the trap was GONE! That make me feel a little sorry for the mouse - I could imagine it running around with a trap on its tail. There were no new droppings this week, so I thought maybe the mouse made his escape (with the trap.) Yesterday, I let Sam into the garage to see if he might have some talent as a mouser, he did not catch a mouse, but he seemed really interested in the band-saw. Today I asked my neighbor to come check out the garage and help set a couple more traps. I also asked him to move the saw so I could sweep up any droppings around it. He found the mouse. Dead. With the trap on his arm. I hope that means no more mice, but I have a feeling there was more than one. I think I will let Nathan take care of the mouse problem when he gets home.

Christmas PJ's

In true McBride form, it is now the time to make your Christmas Eve pajamas. One year mom made all 7 of us girls matching red and blue striped nightgowns with matching stocking caps. I stole a couple from mom a few years ago, and just this weekend Hannah wore one as "Papa" in a production of T'was the Night Before Christmas. (Very funny - I will have to post pictures.)

I have the flannel (rather nice $2 a yard walmart plaid) for this years pj's and I need to decide if I will make nightgowns or pajama pants for the girls. Emily will only wear nightgowns, but I think Hannah would prefer pants, and Sydney will want whatever Hannah has. I love nightgowns, I think they are so cute on the girls, but pants are faster. John, of course, will get pants. How fun. I think I will go wash the flannel now.

Update!

Typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm, and Nathan will be coming home as scheduled...yipee!!!

Hannah and I think it is because of our fasting and prayer yesterday. Who knows?

Delay, Delay, Delay, Delay

Bummer. Some of the guys came home last night, some are coming later this week, but the guys flying home in the B-1's are delayed because of a typhoon near Guam. It seems silly that they don't just land somewhere else on their way home. Isn't that what Nathan is trained to do? Navigate a safe route home? Wha?

The note we received about the delay was rather discouraging. It mentioned that getting home is tricky, they may be home next week, "and that is ONLY if ...... the typhoon goes away, Guam opens back up, Tankers are re-aligned and nothing breaks." We are all a little sad around here, but we are in good spirits. It will all work out. We miss Nathan terribly.

5th Grade Band

Today was the big Holiday Program at school. The sound of 20 kids with wind instruments is unforgettable. The tune of Hot Cross Buns was recognizable, if a little slooooooow. The conductor looked strangely familiar, like Mr. Richichi, maybe that look is a job requirement. They looked so proud when they bowed. To be 10. Anything is possible at 10. Hurray for school music programs!

So Frustrating

Muy strange how Blogger eats posts. Must be hungry.

Thursday

I have read a couple of interesting articles and blogs about Iraq lately, and I thought I would link them here.

In his entry: "Rumsfeld Grilled By Soldiers?", Sgt. Missick, a soldier serving in Iraq and at the meeting with Rumsfeld, discusses his view of the visit from Secretary Rumsfeld to the troops in Iraq. He says the media has misrepresented the feeling of the meeting -

One more thing I would like to add is this, not one soldier present asked questions about why we were here, or expressed the sort of anti-war sentiment that Michael Moore led some to believe was prevalent in the military. Rather, the concern was about ensuring we would be supplied with all necessary equipment to accomplish the mission and return home safely


I also read a report about the incredible work of doctors in Iraq, published in the New England Journal of Medicine: Casualties of War - Military Care for the Wounded from Iraq and Afganistan by Atul Gawande, M.D., M.D.H. He says that a far larger percentage of soldiers are surviving their injuries, than at any other time. Thanks, mainly, to great doctors and a system that is set up to move the wounded rapidly to recieve the care they need. There is also a slide show (not for the faint of heart.)

Interested in helping service members this holiday season? Here's a great idea posted by HughHewitt HughHewitt: The number ONE request at Walter Reed hospital is phone cards. The government doesn't pay long distance phone charges and these wounded soldiers are rationing their calls home.

Many will be there throughout the holidays.

Really support our troops --Send phone cards of any amount to:

Medical Family Assistance Center
Walter Reed Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001

They say they need an "endless" supply of these -- any amount even $5 is greatly appreciated.

Feels good to feel good

We were sick, sick, sick this weekend. Saturday night was a blur of calls for help, vomit, and icky diapers. Sunday was spent on the couch or in bed. After a good nights sleep, we are all feeling in tip-top shape this beautiful Monday morning. Last night we Lysol-ed down the doorknobs, banisters, lightswitches, toilets, and anything else we could wipe. We also sent the toothbrushes threw a cycle of the dishwasher. Feels good to feel good.

I have been washing sheets all morning (I could not touch them yesterday) and hanging them up to dry. The first blanket I hung out was a little crisp when I hung the second batch out. I checked the weather to see the temperature - 22 degrees F. Hmm. I wonder if the sheets will dry or just freeze? It should warm up into the upper 30's so they will eventually defrost. Also, I almost broke my neck or tailbone while going down the stairs with a wet blanket in my arms. The steps were very icy and slick. I managed to catch myself, but then I slipped again on the way back up. Dangerous.

______________________

I am getting Christmas cards together to send out and I have to decide if I am going to enclose a picture of just the kids, a picture of the whole fam at Mt Rushmore, or if we should go all out and have Hannah publish a special holiday edition of the BFN. Must decide today.

______________________

List of things I want to get done before Nathan gets home (could be as early as next week - yipee!)

*= I did it!

*Clean out various closets and drawers
Mail out Christmas cards and packages
Gingerbread house
*Hang greenery
Finish up Christmas shopping
Park the van back in our driveway
Paint my bedroom (lets be honest, this is not happening)
Touch up paint around the stairs
Clean the nasty dining room carpet
*Plan sharing times for the rest of the month
Plan Hannah's class Christmas party
Activity Day girl ice cream party
*RSVP piano recital date and time
*Visiting Teaching (I am officially the world's worst VTer. Stink. Must actually go in December.)(* Look at me - I did my Visiting Teaching and it only Dec. 12th - woohooo)
-Put away trampoline for the winter (*no winter here, may as well keep the tramp out)

What am I doing here? I have work to do.

First Party of the Season

Tonight, the Family Support Center hosted a party for families of Deployed/TDY/Remote service members. We went, and I was shocked to see how many families from just our base are affected by the deployments right now. The place was packed, loads of kids, lots of moms, and even a few dads. I'm sure there were many more families that were not there.

The only other family from the "o" side of our squadron was our Commander's wife. I wonder if it isn't politically correct for Officer's wives to go to these functions. Oh well. I am willing to break out of the mold. We had a fun time. I knew a few of the other families from church and from our neighborhood, so we had people to sit with and talk to.

The clown made Emily nervous, but Sydney was brave and got a balloon for herself and Emily. The Santa was great. He had came complete with his own real beard and white hair. Again, I was worried that Emily would hide behind me, but she went right up to him and held his hand and told him her age. Each of us was given a gift. They were so generous. When I read on the invitation that there would be a gift for each child, I imagined Oriental Trading Company, but these were really nice gifts for every child, and adult, there. They seemed to have the gifts divided up by age and gender. Very thoughtful.

I have a feeling that the gifts were originally tags on an Angel Tree. I can imagine a family taking an angel and reading "10 year old girl" then finding craft supplies and dropping them into a donation box. I'm not sure how I feel about being on the recieving end of that. Kind of strange. We will have to search out a way to give to others this year.

My favorite childhood Christmas memories are of delivering gifts to the Hmong and Laos families in our branch. Filling stockings with an orange in each toe, watching Dad sneak back to the car in his red STANDFORD jacket, listening as a family discovered the treasures on their porch. Good times. Must find a way for our kids to experience that gift.

Turkey Leftovers

Some ideas for myself:
Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey Noodle Soup
Turkey Relleno
Turkey Stuffing Casserole
Turkey Enchiladas
Turkey Fajitas
Turkey Alfredo Pasta

I am planning to make 2 of Mom's Relleno's to freeze, and also a batch of enchiladas. Then I will freeze whatever is left into meal portioned baggies. Tonight we are having Fajitas. Yum.

Look at this, Mom

Big Mouth

All morning Sydney has been grossing me out by showing me all the amazing things a loose tooth can do, like swing all the way to the side, or turn almost all the way around, or bend back so you can see the roots. Blech. I do not like loose teeth. It was a relief when, at lunch, her tooth came out with a bite of her sandwich. Sydney is proud to be the owner of one big snaggle-tooth smile.


Sydney lost a tooth

Snow Flurry

First Snowball

We looked out the window before dinner and saw snow swirling around. Little compact squeaky flakes quickly covered the patio and piled up next to the sliding glass door. The kids made snowballs, tasted the snow, and tried to put it down each other's shirts. Sadly, the snow stopped. More snow tomorrow?


Yum!

Warning

We have company coming into town next week (yes? Laurie? still coming?) and I thought I should let them know what to expect. I think the last time they visited we just had 2 kids and we were in Florida. Double the kids. Double the fun!

Fun x 4

WARNING:
Emily and Sydney don't like to flush the toilet. I don't know why. (last night, though, Sydney told me that she flushed Hannah's toothbrush down the toilet- why?why? Hope the toilet is working when you come.)

John does not sleep through the night. He generally needs to rock at about 11pm and 5am, and sometimes even at 3am. His bedroom is just above Hannah's room (where you will be sleeping.) I don't generally let him cry, but chances are you will hear me walking around.

Sam the dog is a little calmer than the last time you saw him (at Mom and Dad's house) but he is bigger and has more hair. It is not shedding season, but he still loses lots of hair. I find it everywhere. yuck.

Our Dog Sam

Sam is good when just our family is home, but he gets really friendly when we have company. He also likes balls of yarn. We will let him play outside as much as possible, but be careful with your yarn.

Sam stinks.

John is amazing at finding Sams food and throwing it all around while snacking on it.

Yum!

Hannah will do her best to fill you in on all private, embarrassing stories about me. Don't believe her. It wasn't me.

My oven is a little crazy, so if the Turkey burns, it is not my fault.

This house can go from clean and organized to trash heap in about 2 minutes.

We have had lovely weather in the 60's this week, extended forcast says a chance of snow this weekend, then nice next week, temps in the 40's and 50's. Maybe snow later next week.

Hmm, have I forgotten anything? I hope the drive is nice. Can't wait to see you.


Progam Update
The program was very nice. My worries about the kids sitting near me were well founded, but I managed to talk (begged, pleaded, bribed) the teacher into sitting with her class. The little boy next to me kept getting his cowboy boot stuck in the fun chairs. His sister danced along with each song - spinning, twirling, falling down. The little boys in the very front were pretending they were bees, buzzing and stinging each other. Maybe Sunbeams should sit toward the back next year. I kept thinking I was losing control of my face - did I look a little stressed out? or calm and in control? haha! The kids did a great job. No one yelled into the microphone until after the closing prayer. Only two kids totally froze and wouldn't say anything. I am just relieved that it is over, for this year.

Primary Program Tomorrow - eeeeeek

I have been stress-free all week. After our practice on Sunday I felt great. Tonight, though, I am feeling a little wild-eyed. I know that all Primary Programs turn out just fine, and even though the kids don't know the songs that well, they will sing strong during the chorus. I am mainly nervous about the 6 Sunbeams who will be sitting directly in front of, and beside me.

During our Saturday practice the 3 little boys, who sit right behind the rail at the front of the stand, were constantly touching each other and standing dangerously on their chairs, and falling off their chairs, etc. The Tasmanian-devil twins, who will be sitting on the seats next to me, haven't actually been to any of the practices.

Their teacher told me that she wants to sit down on a pew, just in front of the boys to keep their attention, and for some crazy reason, I said okay. Now I think, maybe, definitely, it is not a very good idea.

My job tomorrow is to make sure all the kids make it to the microphone when it is their turn, that the microphone is the right height, that they say their little part, that they stand quietly while the rest of their class speaks, that they make it back to their seats without injury, and that the next speaker makes it up...and on and on. Throw in a few verses of I am a Child of God, and that's the Primary Program in a nutshell.

I don't think it will be possible to do that and also play referee. I am scared. I have tried to call Sister L. a few times this week, But no answer and no answering machine. yikes. help. I can move one of my counselors up to the front, but I would prefer the teacher because she knows these children, and they like her.

Time for Lamaze breathing. All is well, All is well. Notes on the actual program...tomorrow.

Veteran's Day 2004

Today is Veteran's Day . About six weeks to go until Nathan comes home. He is now a Veteran of a Foreign War. His deployment has made me really think about other wars and the other women who were left home to worry. I have been reading about WWII recently. According to this Statistical Summary of America's Major Wars an average of 6,639 American soldiers were killed in action each month during WWII. 6,639? Did this create a shortage of men for women to marry? An abundace of "old maids"? It doesn't seem like it as there was a baby boom after the war, even though over a million men were killed or wounded. When they came home did all the soldiers just automatically get married/make babies?

Here are my own (unscientific) observations of the women here: When the guys were getting ready to come home the last time, a large number of women were talking about hoping to get pregnant before the guys left again. There are a couple babies due in December, and some ladies talking, again, about babies. I don't know what the average birth rates are in America, but we seem to have a lot of little ones in our neighborhood. Maybe going off to war makes you decide to try now, not wait until some unspecified later time to have a baby. Also, the reunion can create little "accidents".(not me, not me) hmm, so maybe that's where to babyboom came from.

In other AirForce news, Chistmas is coming, now is the time to send for your Letters from the North Pole.

Meal Plan

Like I mentioned before I am not very interested in cooking lately. I am blaming this on Nathan being gone, but to be honest, I am not such a dedicated cook even when he is home. I like cooking, I just don't like to have to think of what to fix, particularly if it is already 5pm. So, I was thinking that if I have a detailed plan for the whole week, then I should be able to fix dinner with joy - without thinking. By the way, this plan will have to start on Tuesday, because tonight was piano/pizza night. Syndey earned a free pizza a week or so ago, and to stop the daily question of "when do I get my pizza" we went tonight. I will omit my detailed whining about eating out in public with 4 kids. Actually, 3 of the kids were great, but one 1 year old was not so fun.

On with the meal plan (Another note: we had roast on Sunday, so I will be using it up this week. I do not consider that leftovers.)

Tuesday:
Beef Stew, homemade rolls

Wednesday:
French Dip on homemade rolls, salad

Thursday:
Tacos

Friday:
Shell pasta with Alfredo sauce, salad, breadsticks

Saturday:
Leftovers, big salad, apple crisp

Sunday:
Breakfast for dinner


Hey, that was easy enough. Looks like a fine week of dinners, and some quick, warm lunches. Wish me luck.

Joke of the Day, by Sydney

Why is 6 afraid of 7?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
because 7 ate 9!!!

wacca wacca wacca

To Do...

yup, here's the list:
*=finished

Make "thank you" primary book
*Shop for Nursery Toys - very fun! Emily is playing with the big legos and picnic dishes until we take them to church later this week.
Arrange nursery leader meeting
Cover Hannah's cork-board
Say No
Plan something fun for long weekend
Finish up dresser
--Go to self-help for painting stuff - self-help is closed this week because of an exercise on base, and Veteran's Day. Bummer.
Paint bunkbeds
--Hang cheapo metal shelves - must wait until next week, when self-help store is open
(can I use your drill, Nathan?)
Keep the laundry going
Exercise daily (and I mean it)
Plan meals - follow plan!

That should do it.

By the way, tomorrow is library day, and after I grovel and shell out some cash for the destroyed cassette tape (thanks John), I really want to find a few books for me. Last week I checked out a couple of odd books, and I want something better this week. I am particularly interested in war books. Any recommendations?

*well, it is Wednesday, and I haven't done much on my list. Must get off the computer and get going.

Do you think Ramen Noodles counts as dinner?

Let's just face the facts: I have no motivation to make grownup food with Nathan gone. Sydney wanted to help fix dinner tonight - she decided on Ramen Noodles. Okay. Ramen meets my dinner requirements: quick, easy, no mess, 10 minutes or less, crowd pleaser. Everyone loved it, and we dressed it up a bit with a salad (from a bag) and sliced french bread, but it was still pretty sad. I think it may be time to make a weekly meal plan. So, what are your favorite quick meals? Please help inspire me.

Election Day

We are on the edges of our seats here watching the election results. I helped with Kids Voting at school today. It was great for the kids to have a chance to "vote" along with the adults - we had the Kids Voting booths set up in the same room as the official polling location. There were several adults who were interested in using the kids ballots, as they had pictures. I felt very well informed when I voted today, I think because of the discussions we have had with the kids in Hannah's class. South Dakota has only 3 electors, so we had very little campaining for President, but the ads for our Senate Race have been all over the place - I even had a message on my answering machine yesterday from Dr. James Dobson telling me to vote prolife, blah blah blah.

Here is a site with information and maps of the electoral collage votes in all the past Presidential Elections (all the way back to George Washington - hey by the way, there is a billboard on the way to Mt Rushmore that advertises a Presidential statue museum, its slogan is: From George W. to George W. - wonder what they would do if Kerry is elected.) (also, did you know that one elector from DC withheld her vote in the 2000 election? I didn't know they could do that.) It is interesting how in past races the winner is so clear.

I hope you had a great day and that you were able to vote. Back to the News...