Date with the kids!

Last week I was out of town for a couple of days. I know it is hard on the kids when I am gone, and it is hard on John too. Getting kids ready for school by himself? Just not easy! Remembering everything they need, well I usually do that! I just hoped Amber practiced her spelling for her test on Friday! Who knows what really happens when I'm away. It was probably party time all day long!
I felt bad that circumstances took me away one day longer than planned. I needed to make it up to my girls. I think Amber has the hardest time, she always feels slighted, like she's getting such a bum deal all the time even if I am home! So I had a plan. I was going to take Amber to see a movie on Saturday. Well, then I thought it would be fun to go on Friday afternoon, but I couldn't find one at a reasonable time. But the University of Utah had a gymnastics meet that night. So I decided I would take her to gymnastics! She was so excited to go somewhere with me. But the allure of gymnastics soon wore off. She got bored and we left about halfway through. I guess I can't expect an almost 7 year old to enjoy the same things I do! On the way home we stopped for ice cream. She was so excited. It was such a treat for her. I'm so glad I had the chance to take her somewhere by herself. I had fun with her.

So, the plan was to take Amber to gymnastics and then take both girls to the movie on Saturday morning. On the way to gymnastics Amber said, "Mom, you can just take Emma to the movie tomorrow because I came with you alone tonight. Then Emma can be with you by herself tomorrow." What a sweet little angel I have. I didn't really expect this attitude to last, as I fully expected her to want to go to the movie in the morning! But I love how thoughtful she was. Just the mere mention of letting Emma go alone on Saturday tugged at my heartstrings!

Saturday morning rolls around and yes, Amber wanted to go to the movie. So I loaded both girls into the car and we went to the theater. I took them to see Princess and the Frog, although Amber had already seen it! They loved being able to do something with me. It has been a long time since I have taken them on a date with mommy.

After the movie we stopped at Carl's Jr. for lunch since it was getting late in the afternoon. One o'clock is late for us, especially for lunch. The girls were hungry and I didn't want to hear them complain the whole way home! So we pulled into the drive through and Amber says, "Wow, mom, this is the second day you've done something nice for me!"

Am I really that mean? Okay, so we really haven't done much together and we haven't been able to eat out a whole lot lately. Financial circumstances have prevented us from splurging on the non necessities. I guess I didn't realize how hard that has been for my kids. They know they miss out on a lot, but I've really tried to do things with them. I know that I need to make a better effort to spend time with them doing things they enjoy.

Since Monday was President's Day the kids had a day off school. So in the morning I took them to South Towne Mall where they have this little dinosaur play place. They loved being able to get out of the house! We were there for quite a while. But the kids started getting tired and it was getting too busy for my liking. When the kids had to wait in a line of about 15 kids just to go down the little slide, that is too many people in a small area! They were starting to trip over everyone! While we were there, Jenna showed up with her kids. What a pleasant surprise. I wasn't really expecting to see anybody I knew as most people had other plans. It was nice to see her for the short while we were there!

Needless to say, we all had a good weekend. The kids were all happy to have had special time with mommy!

I'm telling! & more

Kids say the funniest things. Although this time probably wasn't the best time to laugh, we just couldn't contain ourselves!

Yesterday Amber was flicking water in Emma's face, which was making Emma mad. So John took things into his own hands. He grabbed the spray bottle and started spraying Amber. Of course she didn't like that! It wasn't fair, she never used the spray bottle! But, not being able to pass up this opportunity, I took the spray bottle from John. Staying out of sight I started randomly spraying water into the bathroom. I didn't know if I was getting Amber or Emma. Amid protests, we switched off. Then we let Timothy spray the water. By this time Amber was getting really frustrated, but she didn't know I had joined in on the fun! John got all the blame. Perfect for me. I could still console her at the end, right? Then all of a sudden Amber bursts out with, "Stop dad, I'm telling Heavenly Father!"

We couldn't contain our laughter at that point. It was too funny. We were laughing so hard. And this all came on the tail end of Amber telling us how it everybody at school makes fun of her and how it hurts her feelings. Laughing at her right then probably wasn't the best choice, but she said it with all seriousness and it was just too funny. Sometimes we just have to laugh!


So, here's another funny story. Okay, so it may not be so funny to you, but it makes me laugh. Once I realized what happened, and why Timothy thinks the way he does! I like to tease Timothy and when his tummy is bare, I tell him I see a bare tummy, and then I tickle his tummy! Usually this results in peals of laughter. To make sense of what happened, you have to know that Timothy's favorite book is We're going on a Bear Hunt. We read it over and over. His favorite part is where they find the bear in the cave and then run home! He always says "bear, hunt, me." Yes, he likes those bears.

Confusion time. He doesn't understand the difference between bare and bear. To him, it is all the same thing. So I would say "I see a bare tummy!" and he heard "I see a bear tummy!" One day he said "bear, tummy, me!" Okay, so he thinks he has a bear in his tummy? I can go with this. I can pretend with him. He wants to be like me so instead of a baby he has a bear in his tummy! But wait, that's not what he was saying. It would be wise of me to pay more attention. He started saying he was a bear. Then he would lift up his shirt to bare his tummy. He wanted me to tickle him! Oh, I get it, because I was telling him he had a "bear" tummy he likes to think he's a bear! He growls at me, and wants me to growl back. But what he really wants is for the "bear" to be tickled! I laugh everytime he tells me he's a bear.

Okay, so to everyone else, that probably isn't so funny. But I really do think my kids are amusing. We laugh so much around here, despite those days when I feel I'm at wits end with the kids and nothing seems to go right! I need the laughter to keep me sane. Thank goodness my kids provide the entertainment on a daily basis!

Family Skate Night

The elementary school had a free family skate night at Classic Fun Skating in Sandy. The girls really wanted to go and I had promised them earlier in the week that we would go. After all, it was only a dollar for skate rental. Plus, we could take Timothy's little bike for him to ride, and John was home to go with us! Yay.

So we had dinner with Jaime and her kids, then we all packed up in the cars and made our way to the skating rink. We planned to be there about 5:30, but got there at 6:30 p.m. Oh well. That is how things go around here. We can always have the best intentions, but well, the best laid plans are always the ones that are flexible. At least it was Friday night. I didn't mind if the kids were up later!

First task upon arrival- skate rental!

John took Amber and Emma to get skates. They put them on, and then they couldn't stand up. Amber did okay on the carpet, but once on the rink she didn't particularly like to skate! Emma couldn't even stand up on the carpet. She fell on her butt one too many times. So she seemed content to lay on the floor moving her feet back and forth.

Then Saundra showed up and she had rented the adjustable skates for her 2 yo daughter. I hadn't even thought about that! I didn't even know those kind of skates were still in production! Those are the kind I grew up wearing! Yay, I was so excited. She let us borrow the skates for Timothy for a bit. He actually did very well. it wasn't until I saw Timothy skating on the carpet by himself that I had an epiphany. Emma needed skates like that! So she tried the skates on and loved it. So I exchanged her skates for the adjustable skates! She did so much better! She loved being out there with John. She even skated by herself. I'm glad we tried that. Now if Amber had worn her shoes instead of her boots she could have tried those skates too. Unfortunately her boots didn't fit into the adjustable skates.

We did enjoy the night. It was so fun to take the kids somewhere fun and spend very little money. We are so grateful for being able to go and for the time we could spend with friends. Nights like this are so wonderful.

Cookie Decorating

So I signed up for a Cookie Decorating class thinking, this will be fun, right? And it didn't look like I needed to provide any supplies. That was a bonus for me, or so I thought. I should have thought harder about that one! Ha, just because supplies aren't listed on the class schedule doesn't mean I won't need them. So earlier in the week the instructor called me to confirm my email address, but apparently something went wrong in the communication. I wasn't getting the email! I finally got in touch with her and got the email the night before class.

Here's what I was supposed to bring to class:

Please bring 6 cookies of your choice to decorate

Please be sure to not over bake your cookies and have them be at least ¼ inch to ½ inch thick.

After the cookies have cooled, cover with Cookie Glaze with a pastry brush:
Cookies must have glaze on them before class

COOKIE GLAZE:
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Tblsp Water
1 Tblsp Light corn Syrup

Let cookies dry for at least 1 Hour


List of supplies to bring:
Apron
Bath towel
Scissors
6 cookies – covered with above glaze
Coloring for icing – Wilton paste or Americolor gels (Orson Gygi’s)
2 - 3 Small Bowls
toothpicks
Something to put your cookies on to take home (cookie sheet etc..)
Spoons
12 Decorator bags (disposable or Parchment paper)
Tips # 2, 3,16,18
6 couplers

1 batch of Color Flow icing

*** Make icing the NIGHT BEFORE CLASS ***

Do not refrigerate

So, that's what I found out I needed at 6:30 p.m. the night before class. I couldn't really leave right then, my kids were just starting to get ready for bed, John was still in class. So I was pretty much stuck for the time being. So I thought, I still have time to cancel, right? I'm just going to call and say I wanted a full refund of the tuition! But no, I couldn't just take the easy way like that! I had to go to the class! But then it gets worse. I had to have this icing made the night before class, and here it was the night before class? So here's the recipe I was supposed to use.

Wilton Color Flow Icing Recipe
Color Flow Icing Recipe: (full-strength for outlining)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon water
1 lb. (4 cups) sifted confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons Color Flow Mix
With electric mixer, using grease-free utensils, blend all ingredients on low speed for 5 minutes. If using hand mixer, use high speed. Color flow icing crusts quickly, so keep bowl covered with a damp cloth while using.

Makes approx. 2 cups color flow icing.
Make icing and place in glass container with a lid
If you do not have a glass container with a lid please purchase a new set of Glad plastic containers (find at the dollar store)
** DO NOT USE old Rubbermaid or Tupperware **
Icing will be stiff

So, who really stocks Color Flow mix unless you're into cake/cookie decorating? I certainly don't! I didn't even know what the stuff was! So 10:00 p.m. and I'm at the store with Cori trying to figure out what we're doing for this class! We decided to just get a couple of containers of decorating icing! That's the same thing, right? Ha, little did we know that we were really just buying buttercream icing! Duh.

So off we go Thursday night to this class, armed with what we thought was the correct icing! So I admit, sometimes I'm just a little dumb. I don't know anything about cake/cookie decorating. That's why we signed up for the class to begin with! Oh, and the tips I was supposed to have, um yeah, didn't have the correct tips either, but wasn't willing to spend money on a new set especially if I didn't like the class!

The class starts and we look at each other. The other people were armed with notebooks, taking notes! Oh my, this is serious. These people aren't doing this just for fun. Maybe they're trying to venture into a new business. And they have to have me in their class! I'm not serious about it, I just wanted to have fun! Finally we start trying to actually decorate. Ummmmm . . . yeah, the tips I have just aren't working. Oh well, we'll make do, right? We were making do.

Then it came time to thin the icing. All we had to do was add water, a little at a time. Okay, so admit, I was impatient and knew how much the instructor had to add. So I added a lot at one time. Oops. But our icing was not smooth! It was all grainy. (I've never had my own buttercream icing turn out grainy with too much liquid though!) We still didn't realize it was buttercream. But by this time we were positive it wasn't the correct icing. So much for following directions! Uh yeah, we tried. Then the instructor took my bag to help me with my stars. Her comment, "Why is this so greasy?" I looked at Cori and said, I don't know, my hands are pretty greasy. (By this time I could barely hold onto the bag!) So the instructor said, "This feels like buttercream!" I looked at Cori and we just laughed. We had known something was wrong here! All we could do at this point was laugh. We had messed up big time. Needless to say, our cookies weren't as pretty as the others. If the class would have been graded, we would have failed! Oh well. We took the class just for fun. And guess what? Despite the frustration and our failure at cookie decorating, we had a blast! I think it bothered the others in the class that we were actually having fun, but hey, they could have tried a little harder to smile, right?

I really needed that girls time. It was so good to be out and away from all the responsibilities of home! And I had a babysitter, who wants to know all of our cookie decorating knowledge. Do I really feel like I can show her? I'm going to try this at home with the correct icing this time! I will succeed. I can't let this be a failure just for my complete lack of ability to follow directions!

Let this be a lesson to me from here on out. Follow directions explicitly, especially when trying something new! Somebody else has been doing this longer and knows what they're talking about when they give specific directions!

The big, bad "S" word!

I can say that, he doesn't know, right? So I thought. I forgot how much a two year old will repeat. He probably doesn't understand what he says, but he hears me say things, and then he repeats it! Sometimes this is so adorable, like the time I told him he was being a pill. He turned to me and said no, you pill. I couldn't resist the laughter at that point. So when he repeated the big, bad "S" word I thought, oh no, I'm in trouble. Just don't tell the girls, they will certainly chastise me! They hear me say the word and remind me, "Mom, that's a bad word!" Okay, I know I've told them it is a bad word, but when I'm frustrated with something, it becomes something like this. Argh, this is so Stupid! Okay, I told you now. My big, bad "S" word! I realize I say it all the time. But I don't call anybody stupid. I just use it in reference to a situation. (Ummmm . . . starting to sound like rationalization? It is!)
Now that my two year old is repeating everything I say, I need a greater resolve to not say this word. I need to be an example to my children. My girls hear me and know I'm breaking my own rules! How is this helping them any? Ha, it isn't. But, it is a bad habit of mine. I tried once and couldn't break the habit. So I gave up. Yes, I gave up. I thought, if I couldn't break it once, why try again? Now that I have a third reason to break this habit, maybe I should give it another shot. It is a good thing this wasn't my resolution for the new year. I would have already failed!

Oh, and by the way, the lack of pictures is very apparent on my blog. Sorry about that. My pictures are all on my other computer. But somehow my other computer decided it didn't want to work anymore. I was in the process of backing everything up, unfortunately it didn't happen fast enough. I now have the lovely task of trying to extract my data from the hard drive. Also, I have decided that I won't be putting up many pictures of my kids. There are too many weirdos out there who will use random pictures without my knowledge or permission. But really, for now, I don't even have a way to get pictures onto a computer to share. Yikes. Soon it will all be taken care of.

School performance and more!

Thursday Amber had her school sing along for the parents. It was quite cute. She is always so excited to perform, especially when she knows I am in the audience. I think she worries at times that I won't be there. But the little waves, silly faces, smiles, and all around cuteness of my daughter are so worth every hassle of getting there and the hassle of fighting with the younger children while I am there. Some kids are so embarrassed to be up there, or too shy to look up. Not Amber. As soon as she walks in she is perusing the audience, trying to find me. Then it is a smile and a little wave. Then it is more smiles and waves as the rest of the children file in! I'm such a proud mom. I love when my children perform.
Amber had two parts in the program. She sang in the after school choir and then sang with the 1st grade. I'm glad she likes to sing right now because earlier in the year she had an experience which turned her away from singing. So when she said she wanted to do after school choir, I was shocked, but encouraged it! She loves it.

Because she performed on Thursday, she thought they didn't have the after school program after school on Thursday. So nobody was there to pick her up from school. She went to the office in a panic. The secretary tried to call me, but I didn't hear the phone, and when I saw the number, I thought it was for John (he's a substitute teacher and the school system calls him all the time!). It wasn't until I really looked at the number that I realized it was Amber's school. So I thought, oh no, there is no after school program and Amber needs to be picked up. Luckily I had John call before he left to get her. It turns out because they couldn't get a hold of me, they called the next person on the list, my dad! John told the secretary that she was supposed to be in the after school program and then he called my dad who was already on his way to get her. Ummmm . . . dad, you don't need to pick Amber up. She's supposed to still be there. She was just confused! I feel bad, but at the same time, I have to laugh.

Yesterday afternoon Amber went to the after school program rewards party. They got to see the Princess and the Frog. She was so excited to see a movie at the theater. That hasn't happened for quite some time. So she talked John's ear off the whole way home. John says that after hearing Amber talk about the movie, he feels as if he's already seen it himself! :)

Nap time adventures

We have been struggling with nap time at our house lately. Timothy still gets so tired and has a total meltdown if he doesn't get a nap. But we've had so many things going on lately that he doesn't want to stop and rest. Kind-of like me, well, except I would love to stop and rest, but don't have much time for that! So yesterday Timothy screamed and screamed when I put him down. I think he maybe slept about 10 minutes for a nap yesterday. Then he was up late last night, just wanted to be with mommy I suppose. Yikes, he is too much of a momma's boy, I think.
So today he kept telling me he was poopy and kept trying to take his pants off. Ummm . . . yeah, checked his diaper and nothing. So I ignored him. Pretty soon all was quiet. I looked at him and his head was on the seat of the chair, feet on the floor. he wasn't moving so I checked. Lo and behold, he was asleep. I picked him up, put him in bed, and 30 seconds later-- fast asleep! Does this work all the time? No. But it is sure nice when it does. I get time to finish things I need to do, and sometimes I even get time to slow down!