We have officially survived the first week of school! It has been such an adjustment for Amber to be in school all day. She is so tired at the end of the day. Meltdowns have been the norm this week. All in all we have had a successful week.
So today Amber said that she played with Issac at recess today. She said they played dinosaurs. Hmmm . . . sounds interesting, my little girl was playing dinosaurs? She has a slight fascination with dinosaurs. So John asked her which dinosaur she was. She looked at him with one of those, duh dad looks and said, "the mom!" I couldn't stop laughing. She found a way to play house with the boys. She just called it dinosaurs, but she still got to be the mom! My child is creative.
Other adventures this week: I've been walking Amber to and from school with a couple other moms in the neighborhood. So once the kids go in to school, we let our other kids play out on the playground for a bit before heading home. I think it was Tuesday that Timothy fell off the playground equipment, screamed, and screamed louder when I picked him up. He was mad that I wasn't letting him run around. But I didn't want anyone to think I didn't care about my child, so I had run to see what was wrong. I guess he's too much like me. Let me assess what's wrong before anybody asks me if I'm okay!
I am slowly getting used to Amber being gone. I have a full day where the girls aren't fighting! Woohoo! I am loving the peace in my house, which is quickly shattered as soon as we get back from picking up Amber. The day sure flies by though. I didn't realize how fast time really would go. Ha, and I thought I would have lots of time to get stuff done!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
"Into the Mind of Babes" Giveaway
For somebody who lets her children watch T.V. yet feels guilty about it, the book Into the Minds of Babes sounds like a wonderful book. I read a review of this book over on the blog Reading For Sanity. After reading the review of this book I really want to read the entire book. For anybody interested, she is giving away a copy of this book over on her blog. Check out the giveaway here.
I do let my kids watch T.V. Well, actually they watch a lot of Dora, Thomas, Blues Clues because we have the videos. Ever since the switch to digital T.V. we just don't get much of a signal. But, I still have plenty for the kids to watch. I never thought I would be the person to put them in front of the T.V. just so I can get a few moments of peace. It just sort of happened, and it got easier to do after the third child. So I really think this book would be an interesting read. Just let me turn on the T.V. and I can get to reading!
I do let my kids watch T.V. Well, actually they watch a lot of Dora, Thomas, Blues Clues because we have the videos. Ever since the switch to digital T.V. we just don't get much of a signal. But, I still have plenty for the kids to watch. I never thought I would be the person to put them in front of the T.V. just so I can get a few moments of peace. It just sort of happened, and it got easier to do after the third child. So I really think this book would be an interesting read. Just let me turn on the T.V. and I can get to reading!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
End of Summer Activities
My time- It just so happens this week that I have had the opportunity to have a bit of me time. How rejuvenating! John has been so willing (no complaining) to watch the kids while I go out! He has even allowed himself to be roped into watching six kids at the same time, all by himself. Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday afternoon, Wednesday evening, and Thursday evening! Okay, so he had the kids a lot this past week. My kids love having daddy around so much.
Swimming- The outdoor pools are closing! I am so sad. We have been able to go quite often this year compared to past years. Even Timothy has gotten comfortable in the pool. I love the outdoor pools. No more weekday outdoor pool trips for us. We did take advantage of the pool again this week though. We went on Thursday afternoon. What fun. We enjoyed being there. Timothy no longer clings to me. In fact, he tries to run into the water that is too deep for him! I have to keep a very close eye on that boy lest he tries something crazy and well . . . I just don't want to think of all the bad things that could happen right now!
Day at the Carnival- My kids have been so excited! A couple of months ago when we went to the dentist, they gave us a flier advertising their free carnival in August. Free food, free activities, lots of fun. All just for being a loyal patient! The carnival was from 11-2 at Sugarhouse Park. First off we got in line for food. The line was so long that John took the girls to get their hair colored! By the time they were done, I was almost to the food! Yay! Then we found out there was a separate line for the hotdogs. John went to wait for hotdogs, and I helped the girls get drinks, popcorn, nachos, cotton candy, and snow cones for everybody! 5 items for 5 people, not so bad. Oh, except the snow cones were difficult to carry while pushing a stroller and balancing the other food! But, I'm wonder woman and I did it. Okay, so Amber and Emma helped. I really only had to hold my own snow cone. I sent Amber to give John his while he waited in line for hotdogs! Then I gave Timothy his! Red snow cone drenched him by the time we found somewhere to sit and eat. Probably not the smartest choice, but hey, kids wash, at least I think so!
Then the girls were off to bowling, and the bounce houses! They could spend all day in those bounce play areas! One was a shark slide. Emma took a long time coming down the first time. I had just sent Amber back up to find her and here she comes, out from under the teeth! And she's off. Back for another round of the shark slide! Timothy was content to hang out in the stroller. I think he was just so tired. I hadn't given him a nap yet. So he watched the girls play. What a fun way to spend an afternoon.
The girls were so mad when it was time to go, but everyone was so tired. Timothy fell asleep on the way home after he dumped popcorn all over his lap! Oops, the things I do to keep the kids happy. Popcorn in the car, what a mess! But they were so good at the carnival. Almost no complaining.
Now it is time to buckle down and get in the school mode! School starts on Monday for Amber. She's so ready to start first grade. I'm not ready for summer to be over, but hey, I can still take Emma and Timothy and play for a few weeks while Amber is gone all day! Can I please drag summer out a little while? I'm not ready for it to end.
Swimming- The outdoor pools are closing! I am so sad. We have been able to go quite often this year compared to past years. Even Timothy has gotten comfortable in the pool. I love the outdoor pools. No more weekday outdoor pool trips for us. We did take advantage of the pool again this week though. We went on Thursday afternoon. What fun. We enjoyed being there. Timothy no longer clings to me. In fact, he tries to run into the water that is too deep for him! I have to keep a very close eye on that boy lest he tries something crazy and well . . . I just don't want to think of all the bad things that could happen right now!
Day at the Carnival- My kids have been so excited! A couple of months ago when we went to the dentist, they gave us a flier advertising their free carnival in August. Free food, free activities, lots of fun. All just for being a loyal patient! The carnival was from 11-2 at Sugarhouse Park. First off we got in line for food. The line was so long that John took the girls to get their hair colored! By the time they were done, I was almost to the food! Yay! Then we found out there was a separate line for the hotdogs. John went to wait for hotdogs, and I helped the girls get drinks, popcorn, nachos, cotton candy, and snow cones for everybody! 5 items for 5 people, not so bad. Oh, except the snow cones were difficult to carry while pushing a stroller and balancing the other food! But, I'm wonder woman and I did it. Okay, so Amber and Emma helped. I really only had to hold my own snow cone. I sent Amber to give John his while he waited in line for hotdogs! Then I gave Timothy his! Red snow cone drenched him by the time we found somewhere to sit and eat. Probably not the smartest choice, but hey, kids wash, at least I think so!
Then the girls were off to bowling, and the bounce houses! They could spend all day in those bounce play areas! One was a shark slide. Emma took a long time coming down the first time. I had just sent Amber back up to find her and here she comes, out from under the teeth! And she's off. Back for another round of the shark slide! Timothy was content to hang out in the stroller. I think he was just so tired. I hadn't given him a nap yet. So he watched the girls play. What a fun way to spend an afternoon.
The girls were so mad when it was time to go, but everyone was so tired. Timothy fell asleep on the way home after he dumped popcorn all over his lap! Oops, the things I do to keep the kids happy. Popcorn in the car, what a mess! But they were so good at the carnival. Almost no complaining.
Now it is time to buckle down and get in the school mode! School starts on Monday for Amber. She's so ready to start first grade. I'm not ready for summer to be over, but hey, I can still take Emma and Timothy and play for a few weeks while Amber is gone all day! Can I please drag summer out a little while? I'm not ready for it to end.
Monday, August 17, 2009
I didn't plant these!
Earlier this month John had said, "We have pumpkins growing in our front yard!" Ha, I thought. Here I go again, not believing him. After all, I didn't plant pumpkins! How do we now have pumpkins. I told him it was just part of the rhubarb that I cannot get rid of. But he looked up a picture online and compared the leaves. Okay, so I guess we have pumpkin growing in our front yard. And it is a lot of pumpkins! But I was still at a loss. How did I get this many pumpkin plants in my yard?
Then John reminded me. So this is what happened. Last year, we had a pumpkin on our porch for Halloween. It had a painted face, so it was a full pumpkin, not a carved pumpkin! Somehow it got knocked off the porch and I forgot about it. I never cleaned it up. The pumpkin rotted in the garden area just off the side of the porch. I never cleaned it up, it was very gross. All of a sudden it disappeared. I thought John had finally gotten sick of seeing the rotting pumpkin and had cleaned it up. Nope. No such luck. All of those seeds planted themselves right there by my porch. I have at least 20 flowers on these multiple plants! My very own little pumpkin patch.
I didn't intend on planting pumpkins this year. But of the 5 things I intended to plant, and the unintended pumpkins, the pumpkin plants are doing the best! They are thriving and I haven't done anything to help them thrive. I used to say I didn't have a green thumb. Maybe I do. But only when it comes to pumpkins that really want to grow in my yard!
Then John reminded me. So this is what happened. Last year, we had a pumpkin on our porch for Halloween. It had a painted face, so it was a full pumpkin, not a carved pumpkin! Somehow it got knocked off the porch and I forgot about it. I never cleaned it up. The pumpkin rotted in the garden area just off the side of the porch. I never cleaned it up, it was very gross. All of a sudden it disappeared. I thought John had finally gotten sick of seeing the rotting pumpkin and had cleaned it up. Nope. No such luck. All of those seeds planted themselves right there by my porch. I have at least 20 flowers on these multiple plants! My very own little pumpkin patch.
I didn't intend on planting pumpkins this year. But of the 5 things I intended to plant, and the unintended pumpkins, the pumpkin plants are doing the best! They are thriving and I haven't done anything to help them thrive. I used to say I didn't have a green thumb. Maybe I do. But only when it comes to pumpkins that really want to grow in my yard!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Small but sweet success!
I love those Family Home Evenings when everything seems to fall into place. During dinner John had suggested a library trip as our activity tonight. My response: the kids are crabby and tired. John's wise response: We won't look at any books to check out! So this is how our discussion seemed to go. Our discussion ended with me once again agreeing to what seemed a harebrained idea with the kids in such awful spirits today!
Dinner was over. The girls knew we were going on a little trip! They weren't exactly sure where, but they guessed because they listened closely during dinner for once. :)
This was Family Home Evening. I didn't want to make this all about what we were going to get at the the library. So Amber chose a song to sing, we had a prayer, and then a short lesson. We read Doctrine & Covenants 90:15 and then discussed why it is important to learn from good books. Then we discussed how we can find good books. So naturally, this led us into the activity of going to the library for what else, but books!
The real purpose for going to the library: We really did not intend to check out books. The library has a summer reading program for both kids and adults. They have been doing this for quite a few years now. It is one of the highlights of the summer for us! Especially since it is completely free. Each month we get a small little prize, with the final prize in August being a free book for completing the program! It is actually quite simple. The kids set their own time limit to read each day. I set it for them at 20 minutes per day! Not hard for my kids. They are always reading. Adults had to read I think 6, or maybe 10, books this summer. Reading books to a child counted. Hmmmm . . . not hard for me as my kids love to have books read to them!
So, our purpose for going to the library was to turn in our completed forms and get our free books! How much better can it be for a kid who likes to read? My kids were so excited that they get to keep the book and don't have to return it! They were angels at the library. No fighting. No whining. Oh, Timothy did escape and run down the aisle once. But he's not even 2 yet. He was amazingly good!
But wait, Family Home Evening isn't complete without a treat! On our way home we stopped at Winder Dairy for icecream cones. Jaime had told me they had orange soft serve icecream! Get it in a twist and it tastes just like an orange dreamsicle! Yum yum. My kids were so excited. I hadn't told anybody we were going to stop. I just did it! When Amber saw somebody come out of the Country Store with a big icecream cone, her eyes lit up and she asked "You can get icecream here?" So much for the surprise. A happy dance ensued as soon as she was free of the confines of the car!
The sweet smell of success! It is so refreshing. The secret: I still don't know. But when I have it all figured out, I'll be sure to let you know!
Dinner was over. The girls knew we were going on a little trip! They weren't exactly sure where, but they guessed because they listened closely during dinner for once. :)
This was Family Home Evening. I didn't want to make this all about what we were going to get at the the library. So Amber chose a song to sing, we had a prayer, and then a short lesson. We read Doctrine & Covenants 90:15 and then discussed why it is important to learn from good books. Then we discussed how we can find good books. So naturally, this led us into the activity of going to the library for what else, but books!
The real purpose for going to the library: We really did not intend to check out books. The library has a summer reading program for both kids and adults. They have been doing this for quite a few years now. It is one of the highlights of the summer for us! Especially since it is completely free. Each month we get a small little prize, with the final prize in August being a free book for completing the program! It is actually quite simple. The kids set their own time limit to read each day. I set it for them at 20 minutes per day! Not hard for my kids. They are always reading. Adults had to read I think 6, or maybe 10, books this summer. Reading books to a child counted. Hmmmm . . . not hard for me as my kids love to have books read to them!
So, our purpose for going to the library was to turn in our completed forms and get our free books! How much better can it be for a kid who likes to read? My kids were so excited that they get to keep the book and don't have to return it! They were angels at the library. No fighting. No whining. Oh, Timothy did escape and run down the aisle once. But he's not even 2 yet. He was amazingly good!
But wait, Family Home Evening isn't complete without a treat! On our way home we stopped at Winder Dairy for icecream cones. Jaime had told me they had orange soft serve icecream! Get it in a twist and it tastes just like an orange dreamsicle! Yum yum. My kids were so excited. I hadn't told anybody we were going to stop. I just did it! When Amber saw somebody come out of the Country Store with a big icecream cone, her eyes lit up and she asked "You can get icecream here?" So much for the surprise. A happy dance ensued as soon as she was free of the confines of the car!
The sweet smell of success! It is so refreshing. The secret: I still don't know. But when I have it all figured out, I'll be sure to let you know!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Another Girl's Camp come and gone!
Another year, another camp. I was so grateful I didn't have to plan camp. Diane was my camp director so I just did what she told me to do! Woohoo! I was a little apprehensive before hand, but I always get that way. I worry too much.
The theme this year was the Wizard of Oz, with the ultimate theme being "There's no place like home!" It was an awesome theme. We were able to do so many things with the girls!
I really enjoyed the vast amount of ward time we had. In past years it has been difficult for the girls to really bond with each other when they are always running back and forth to stake activities. It was so good to have that ward time. Our girls were so wonderful. I have the best Young Women in the world! :) Okay, so I am a little biased. I admit it. But I really do have amazing young women.
We had the opportunity to memorize three scriptures and then complete a task associated with the theme. The scriptures dealt with courage, knowledge, and heart. I thought it would be a good idea to memorize the scriptures while we were hiking. Saundra and I worked and worked on memorizing two scriptures on the hike. We passed the scriptures off and were given a task to complete.
Here are the tasks I had to complete:
Courage: I had to meet one leader and one young woman, not in my ward and find out something about them. If anybody knows me this is hard! I am generally not one to make the first move getting to know somebody. I can know somebody's name long before I ever get to know them! It was actually fun. I got to know a girl named Rochelle, and a leader named Simoni (sp?). I am grateful for this task. It helped me get out of my comfort zone. I feel it is easier to be an example to the young women when I am out there actually doing something. I know the young women watch everything the leaders do!
Knowledge: This was the easiest task. I just had to answer a question. But I got the first one wrong. Ack! I can't believe I missed that one! I should have known better. Yikes. Second try. I got the question right! Woohoo! Second chances are great!
Heart: I had to hug one person in camp and tell that person I love them, then I had to hug someone in another camp and tell them that I love them! So my camp was not a problem! That was my ward young women. But the other wards, hmmm . . . who did I really know well enough to tell them that I love them? Then I realized I didn't have to know that person real well to know that I love them. We are all sisters in the gospel. We all have a special bond with each other. Once I realized that, my task was easier.
I was a little sad that my Young Women didn't complete all three of these. Most of them completed courage, but they didn't get farther than that. I think they were a tad overwhelmed with certification and scripture memorization. Certification was more important! But I was glad to see them do at least one scripture.
I was amazed at how much each of my young women did for each other. They were so good to each other. If anybody needed help, another would jump in and do it! There was one time Luisa jumped in and helped another group with food prep when it wasn't her turn. She wanted to help.
The other thing that amazed me is the thanks the young women showed to the cooks! We had a mailbox so the girls could write notes to each other and leave them in the mailbox! It turned out well. I had made mention to the girls that they needed to make sure to thank the cooks for coming to camp and helping us out. The girls took that to heart. By Saturday the cook's each had a slot that was overflowing! It is so nice to see the gratitude flowing from the girls.
My other favorite part of girl's camp is Testimony meeting. That is when I really hear how the girls feel. Even though I have been able to guess what they think and how they feel, I love to hear them express it in their own words. I love hearing them tell of how their testimony has grown or how they struggle or just how much they have loved being at camp. It is a wonderful time for me as a leader.
I really do get to know the girls better at camp. I love being there. I love having the opportunity to rub shoulders with the other leaders. It is so nice to be able to let our hair down and have some fun away from everything else!
Despite the fun and enjoyment we had, we were all so glad to be home. It is nice to be away, but my own bed really felt good Saturday night! We're done with camps until next year! But I look forward to it again!
The theme this year was the Wizard of Oz, with the ultimate theme being "There's no place like home!" It was an awesome theme. We were able to do so many things with the girls!
I really enjoyed the vast amount of ward time we had. In past years it has been difficult for the girls to really bond with each other when they are always running back and forth to stake activities. It was so good to have that ward time. Our girls were so wonderful. I have the best Young Women in the world! :) Okay, so I am a little biased. I admit it. But I really do have amazing young women.
We had the opportunity to memorize three scriptures and then complete a task associated with the theme. The scriptures dealt with courage, knowledge, and heart. I thought it would be a good idea to memorize the scriptures while we were hiking. Saundra and I worked and worked on memorizing two scriptures on the hike. We passed the scriptures off and were given a task to complete.
Here are the tasks I had to complete:
Courage: I had to meet one leader and one young woman, not in my ward and find out something about them. If anybody knows me this is hard! I am generally not one to make the first move getting to know somebody. I can know somebody's name long before I ever get to know them! It was actually fun. I got to know a girl named Rochelle, and a leader named Simoni (sp?). I am grateful for this task. It helped me get out of my comfort zone. I feel it is easier to be an example to the young women when I am out there actually doing something. I know the young women watch everything the leaders do!
Knowledge: This was the easiest task. I just had to answer a question. But I got the first one wrong. Ack! I can't believe I missed that one! I should have known better. Yikes. Second try. I got the question right! Woohoo! Second chances are great!
Heart: I had to hug one person in camp and tell that person I love them, then I had to hug someone in another camp and tell them that I love them! So my camp was not a problem! That was my ward young women. But the other wards, hmmm . . . who did I really know well enough to tell them that I love them? Then I realized I didn't have to know that person real well to know that I love them. We are all sisters in the gospel. We all have a special bond with each other. Once I realized that, my task was easier.
I was a little sad that my Young Women didn't complete all three of these. Most of them completed courage, but they didn't get farther than that. I think they were a tad overwhelmed with certification and scripture memorization. Certification was more important! But I was glad to see them do at least one scripture.
I was amazed at how much each of my young women did for each other. They were so good to each other. If anybody needed help, another would jump in and do it! There was one time Luisa jumped in and helped another group with food prep when it wasn't her turn. She wanted to help.
The other thing that amazed me is the thanks the young women showed to the cooks! We had a mailbox so the girls could write notes to each other and leave them in the mailbox! It turned out well. I had made mention to the girls that they needed to make sure to thank the cooks for coming to camp and helping us out. The girls took that to heart. By Saturday the cook's each had a slot that was overflowing! It is so nice to see the gratitude flowing from the girls.
My other favorite part of girl's camp is Testimony meeting. That is when I really hear how the girls feel. Even though I have been able to guess what they think and how they feel, I love to hear them express it in their own words. I love hearing them tell of how their testimony has grown or how they struggle or just how much they have loved being at camp. It is a wonderful time for me as a leader.
I really do get to know the girls better at camp. I love being there. I love having the opportunity to rub shoulders with the other leaders. It is so nice to be able to let our hair down and have some fun away from everything else!
Despite the fun and enjoyment we had, we were all so glad to be home. It is nice to be away, but my own bed really felt good Saturday night! We're done with camps until next year! But I look forward to it again!
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