Open Letter

Dear Yuma County & Arizona Residents,

During the past week I have heard some very negative and very divisive statements regarding the #RedForEd movement. The thing that astounds me is that these negative and divisive comments are coming from within the movement and are directed toward other members of the movement.

Today some Educators chose to Walk-OUT to show their support of Education and their Students. Today some Educators chose to Walk-IN to show their support of Education and their Students. Today some Schools closed in order to support their Educators and their Students. Today some Schools remained open in order to support their Educators and their Students. The astounding thing is that there are people from each side who feel passionately, and vociferously, that the other side chose incorrectly in how they demonstrated their support.

This divisiveness and negativity from within the movement brings to mind "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Seuss. Within that book, two groups (the Yooks and the Zooks who have a great many similarities to each other) become entrenched in a disagreement regarding the correct way to butter bread. It is a wonderful book that most Educators have read. I would implore our Educators to remember the tale of the Yooks and the Zooks and to apply its lessons in this situation.

Please have compassion and understanding for those Educators who chose to demonstrate their support in a manner different from your won. Please stop berating your colleagues or trying to shame them because you choose to butter your bread Butter-Side-Down and they choose to butter their bread Butter-Side-Up. Both Choices still give you a lovely slice of bread with a smear of butter. Both Choices give your mouth a treat as you chew and satisfy your tummy once swallowed.

So whether you and your colleagues decided to butter your bread today Butter-Side-Up or Butter-Side-Down, please remember that the important thing is that Both Sides chose to have a slice of bread with a smear of butter. Please be kind and respectful to your fellow Educators, even though they may have chosen to demonstrate differently than you. Each member of the #RedForEd movement is supporting the cause in the manner they think best for themselves and for their Students. We have enough opposition from without; Please stop allowing this movement to have division from within. Let's start supporting our colleagues in their choices even though they may differ from our own choices.

Please remember that we are Stronger Together!

Sincerely,

Sarah

Mother to a Bunch of Kids

P.S. I am not saying that the divisiveness within this movement is going to lead to a nuclear catastrophe. I am saying that the divisiveness is unnecessary and should be curbed.

Good-Bye to the Piano Man

We said good-bye to our Piano-Man Teacher tonight. He is a lovely man. He has worked with four of my kids for over a year. He had a talent for teaching chords, improvisations, and embellishments, in addition to the basics of piano theory and technique. He came to our house each week with such a cheerful and can-do attitude. It really was wonderful to watch the kids grow, under his tutelage, in their piano-playing skills.

But, the kids are done. While they enjoyed learning with the Piano-Man Teacher, over the last few months their hearts have not been in it. I know that I could have buttoned down and forced them to practice more. I know that I could have provided incentives for their continued participation. I am consciously choosing not to. 

Rose is in the high school choir this year. She has spent hours each day in vocal practice. She sits at the piano, not to practice the Piano Teacher's assignments, but rather to pick out the Alto part of the new choir piece she is learning. Her interests have turned from piano to voice. And I'm going to let her run with it.

Nonny is still a percussionist in the middle school band. Between that and the rigor of her school courses, she is feeling a bit strained. She still loves piano and wants to continue to progress and learn. But she's at a point where she wants to concentrate on learning individual piano pieces rote. And I can help with that! So she has also opted to forgo piano lessons.

Monroe and Joe still love piano, but after a long day of sitting at school all they want to do when they get home is run and play. Sitting for another half hour or so to practice piano has become awful for them.

The truth is, I felt kind of bad about signing them up for piano lessons in the first place. The reason...  I play piano and I have taught piano. But when I tried to teach them some basics, they would get frustrated with me and with themselves. I talked to my Mom about it years ago. My Mom is a talented pianist, but she didn't teach her own kids to play the piano. She had other people do it. Her reason...her kids (ie. me and my siblings) would get frustrated with her and with ourselves. When she first realized that, she and another piano teacher decided to swap kids. My Mom taught that gal's kids piano and that gal taught us piano. And surprise, surprise: the kids started learning the piano instead of getting into fights with their Moms.

Although I will miss the Piano-Man and the beautiful music he brought into our home, I think we'll be alright. He gave my kids the fundamentals. He encouraged them to find joy and fun in the piano, to not be afraid to make things up, and to not fall apart if you made mistakes. My kids may be done with the Piano-Man, but they are definitely not done with the piano. We are going to restart piano lessons with Mom.

Wish us luck!

Another Quick Update

It seems like all I have for lately is Quick Updates. Sorry about that. Life has just been crazy and anytime I do have some down time...I take a nap. :)


Obviously I can't catch you up on three months worth of happenings quickly. So I will just make note of the few big things that are happening in my life.


1. Student Teaching is DONE! Hooray!


2. I have officially graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Masters of Elementary Education. I earned a 4.0 GPA and completed all requirements in only 17 months. 


3. I have decided that I hate school and never want to step in another one as long as I live. Haha! I'm sure I just need a break, a BIG break. I might go back when I'm 50.


4. I'm pregnant. 


I am 23 weeks along and having a little girl in September. And yes, that means I was in the beginning stages of pregnancy while student teaching. It was not fun being prego sick, student teaching, and pretending all the while to be happy and healthy, but let me tell you...I rocked it. No one at that school had any idea I was pregnant until I was 16 weeks along. (side note: my cooperating teacher insists, after the fact, that she knew I was pregnant before the 16 weeks. my unspoken comment: yeah right.)


5. I attended Wood Badge. I have wanted to go to Wood Badge for the past ten years! It was different than what I was expecting. And they gave me homework!! No one said anything about homework before I went. It's probably good that they didn't, because I was sick of school by then and wouldn't have gone.


Anyhoo, it was quite the adventure.


6. We're moving.


We're not moving to a different city. Just a different house about two miles away. It is in the county. It is lots smaller than our current house. It only has three bedrooms. It is in poor condition. So why are we doing it??


That darling, crumbling little house is sitting on THREE acres of IRRIGATED land. It is very exciting. 


Adios, Amigos!

Quick Update

The kids have returned to school. Rose is in 5th Grade, Anne in 3rd Grade, and Joe in 1st grade. Can I just tell you what a relief (and joy) it is to not have to worry about keeping these kids entertained, busy, and not fighting!

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Now it's just Cakes, Jim, and I at home during the week. They are fun and silly little boys. We are working on Memory Books. I am only four years behind. :S

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Jim had his four-month check this week. He is 27 1/2 inches long and weighed 14 lb. 11 oz. That puts him in the 98th percentile for height, but only the 45th percentile for weight. My doctor likes the percentages to be closer, but wasn't overly concerned because the Jim-boy looked super-healthy. My Mom and Hubby, on the other hand, think we need to fatten the boy up. Wish me luck!

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I am completely flunking on my diet and exercise plan. The Hubby bought me an entire box of Mars Bars! That was my favorite candy bar when I was fifteen. But they stopped making them when Snickers decided to court almond lovers. That was fine by me. I haven't eaten a candy bar in about 13 years (the two bite-size bars my kids share with me at Halloween don't count. I only eat those to show the kids that we are polite and share. most of the time I will sneakily pocket them, while pretending to chew, and pass them to Hubby later.).

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Hubby has, off and on, been tracking the candy bars on my behalf. That was always hilarious to me, because I really don't have a sweet tooth. I much prefer savory foods. For example, when we used to go to his parents' house for dinner, I would opt for an extra roll rather than eat cake and ice cream.

As often happens, my tastes changed with this pregnancy and they have yet to bounce back. I have serious cravings for chocolate that cannot be met! It is quite infuriating to me! I am doing my best to not cave in to the cravings. I was doing so well...

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And then Hubby brings home an entire box of Mars! Turns out they never went out of production, they were still being made and sold in England. Only the U.S. stopped selling them. But now they are coming back, exclusively at Wal-mart. I laughed when Hubby unveiled the box. He was so proud of himself. He knew I had been craving chocolate and thought this would be a good remedy.

I was very proud of myself that I didn't spit in his eye.

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After much cajoling, I agreed to try one, to see if it tasted as good as I remembered.

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I wish I had just spit in his eye. :(

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Oh. My. Stars!!

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It was delicious!

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And I couldn't stop at just one!

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That rotten old man! Why did I ever marry him? Ugh!

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I do not know what the Baby Jim did to my body, but it was something truly wicked to produce such intense cravings!

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Someone please kill me now.

Random Update

I haven't updated for a while. I have put posts up, but they're mostly about Lost. And while my life does slightly revolve around that show, it mostly revolves around my darling children and dear husband. So...in no particular order and with absolutely no pictures, here is an update from the Blue Family:

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1) Spring Break was this past week. For my elementary kids it continues into this week. Miss Q, the lucky high schooler, goes back tomorrow. Wednesday she gets to take the Math AIMS test. Keep her in your prayers!

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2) This past week was also Fair Week. I was going to take the kids myself, but since I was rear-ended Hubby got to spend Wednesday with me instead of going to work. He was supposed to make sure that I took it easy. Poor guy. I drug his cute fanny to the Fair with the kids. Then I sauntered from exhibit to exhibit while he chased the little people around. It was very nice...For Me! ;)

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3) Miss Q entered a painting into the Fine Arts category. She won a third place ribbon. She was shocked. Somehow she didn't make the connection between entering a fair and being judged. She'd never won a ribbon before and was ecstatic!

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4) Rose entered a bag into the Home Economics category. She won a first place ribbon. I think it was the french seams, grommets, and sturdy handle that won the judges over. She made the bag herself, with me just giving the occasional instruction.

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5) Anne entered a skirt into the Home Economics category. She won a first place ribbon. She loves this skirt and wears it often. She was worried that the judges would realize she had worn it and that it wasn't new. Gasp!! I told her that if it was clean the judges would never know. She also worried that those judges would try to sell her skirt to someone else. (In Miss Q's category they sell their stuff.) The judges themselves assured her that the Home Ec category sells nothing. The exact quote: "We spend way too much time making these things to just sell them off like that." Anne is happy to have a blue ribbon and is greatly relieved to have her skirt back in her hands.

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6) I entered the Snow White costume I made last summer for Into the Woods. It won a first place ribbon. The fair judges don't give out just one First place, one Second place, and one Third place. They can give as many of each ribbon as they want. The places are determined by the quality of the work. I was quite pleased that my work earned a blue ribbon.

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7) I also entered a cross-stitch sampler I had made. I was confused when I first saw the ribbon on this one...it was purple. But it said "Outstanding" so I figured it was alright. Turns out, purple is better than blue. Who knew?! I won an award from the town's EGA chapter, Embroidery Guild of America. The award was Ten Dollars cash. How exciting!

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8) We had an earthquake on Easter Sunday. I was kind of ticked by it. I was having some pretty hard contractions that had started to get closer together. Then the ground started shaking and the contractions stopped. Oh well. The quake lasted about a minute or two. The epicenter was many mile away from us. No damage was done. There were several aftershocks during the remainder of the day.

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One of my neighbors wants to move out of here now. The quake really scared her. With what I know of tectonic plates and the earth's shifting movements, an earthquake could happen anywhere. I would much rather deal with a little shaking than some other natural disasters...

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9) I was officially cleared to have this baby any time last Monday. I had another appointment today. I am dilated to 2-3 cm. Which means NOTHING! I have been dilated to 3+ for weeks before I've given birth. I really wish there was an accurate indicator that would tell me when this babe is coming. It would be so much more convenient for me. Haha! Listen to me whine. Sorry about that. I have everything prepared for my kids and for the two Fosters. Babysitters in place, respite plans in place, bags packed. Now I just need some regular contractions 5 - 7 minutes apart or my water to break. ;)

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10) Conference freaked me out. The Saturday sessions were fine, but Sunday morning was NOT! We listened to conference over the internet and I didn't catch the name of the man who gave this particular talk, but...he really freaked me out! He gave a lovely talk about how we shouldn't take offense even when horrible things happen to us. I'm sure that in a few months I will look on this talk as one of my favorites. I have often talked about this very subject in lessons I have given in Sacrament.

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The problem I have with his talk is that he kept talking about women who died in childbirth!!! Aaaaahhh!!!! And the babies died too! After he started talking about the second woman dying, I screamed for Hubby to turn the blasted thing off!!! It was not a very good example to set for my kids, but COME ON! This whole pregnancy I have been extremely worried about either myself or my child dying. Hubby has done his best to reassure me that we'll be okay, but I'm still nervous about stuff.

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Luckily, the man's talk ended a few minutes after my outburst. I kind of zoned out after that, trying to get a grip on myself. I came back when the Prophet began to speak. Holy Guacamole!! That dear man, whom I love and sustain with all my heart, started talking about dying too! He spoke of how it was alright and how we would be together again someday. And I just couldn't take it. I don't want to be together someday with my family. I want to be together NOW. I do not want to die. I do not want my babe to die. Again, I'm sure I will look back on this talk in a few months and really appreciate his words. But as my dear Prophet was speaking, I was praying that his talk would end and end soon. Gah!

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The afternoon session was a bust for me because I just kept replaying the first speaker's and the Prophet's words about death and wondering if it was an omen...a warning to me to get myself ready. Hubby has done his best to tell me I'm crazy and am not going to die. I am trying really hard to believe him. Too bad my hormonal state with this pregnancy is a worried mess. Last pregnancy I was just grouchy about everything. Little things would irritate me greatly. I think I would rather be grouchy and irritable than paranoid and worried. :(

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11) I finally have some of my South African souvenirs out on display. They have been sitting in my memory box since my Grandparents returned from their mission back in 1987. Now they are on display in my kitchen. I will take pictures and post them at some point. Just not today.

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Well, that's all I can think of right now. All the Blue's are happy and healthy. We are just counting down to the baby's arrival. Tomorrow marks 15 days to Zero. Wish me luck...Oh! And if I do die, make sure to tell my kids how much I loved them. Hubby already knows how much I love him, but little kids tend to forget and my kids are just little enough that some of them might not remember at all.

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Did I mention that I am slightly paranoid and worried???

Being Productive

I feel so productive and happy right now. My nails are black and my back is a bit sore, but I am completely HAPPY!! I had such a great day.

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First, I have to apologize to anyone who logged on to the "Transplanting Trees" post. My computer is having serious issues. I had downloaded my pictures using Hubby's laptop and thought I could add the words using my computer. I spent an hour and a half typing up what basically amounted to a as a tutorial for transplanting trees. It was a really great post. And then my computer went funky, closed one page, opened another, and reverted to the picture only post, which it then posted...even though I hadn't pushed the post button. Ey-yah! I was so mad I wanted to throw something or punch a wall. Isn't it great how pregnancy amplifies whatever emotion you are feeling? Haha! Luckily, Hubby knows how to deal with my amplified feelings now and was able to help me calm down. Sheesh! I'm such a mess sometimes. :)

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Anyhoo, the full Transplanting Trees post is forthcoming. I just have to re-type it all using Hubby's laptop (the computer I am using currently). Don't expect it for a few days though.

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So, back to my great day.

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I had an OB appointment this morning. The baby boy is doing great. He is currently head down. Cross your fingers he stays that way. As I was sitting in the waiting room, I noticed a magazine advertising an inside scoop into the current season of LOST. Of course, I immediately grabbed it and started reading. It was a great article. Except it made me feel kind of stupid. Remember all the numbers that I mentioned in the last post...I did NOT make the connection to the numbers Jacob had written and THE numbers. I am going to blame the pregnancy for dulling my mind. Haha!

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After that Mr. J had a visit from his CASA worker. She wanted to observe him in our home...see how he interacted with me and Cakes. I was nervous about having my parenting skills observed and analyzed, but the visit was more like a visit than an observation. Hooray! I had a lovely conversation with the CASA worker while Mr. J, Cakes, and I played. She is a nice and compassionate lady who is honestly looking out for Mr. J's best interest. That makes me happy. The little foster kids need all the people they can to look out for them. I'm thrilled to have such a great advocate for Mr. J.

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This afternoon the weather was idyllic. Big white fluffy clouds. Cool temperatures with a slight breeze. Hubby had brought me home a wonderful surprise last week...a new set of pruners. I am the proud owner of Bypass Pruners for pruning live growth and Anvil Pruners for pruning dry branches. With such a perfect afternoon, I decided to break out the pruners. My hibiscus plants have been in desperate need of some pruning. They grew so quickly the roots couldn't support the weight of the top. It took quite a lot of pruning before they could stand up straight on their own. My kids think they look pitiful and scraggly now. I told them to just wait. Hibiscus grow like crazy and their flowers will bloom again.

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I also pruned my five citrus trees and the plum and peach trees in my backyard. Again, my kids think they look a bit scraggly now. I told them to just wait and watch. I used it as a teaching experience to talk about making choices in life. There are so many ways we can grow and we have to make choices. My kids thought we would only cut off bad or dead branches. They were surprised to see me cutting off healthy branches and new growth. I explained that life works the same way for us. Sometimes there are several good branches, several good opportunities, but we have to make a choice if we want our tree to grow up healthy and balanced. It was great seeing the understanding in my kids' eyes.

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The only bad thing that happened with the pruning is that I forgot to put on latex gloves before I started applying the pruning paint. I ended up with that sticky paint all over my hands. It wouldn't have been that big a deal, except tonight I was attending my first Quilt Group Meeting! Aaack!

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I scrubbed and scrubbed my hands, but the paint would not come off and the stickiness did not lessen. Luckily, I had a stroke of genius. I smeared Bag Balm all over my hands then put latex gloves over them. And off I went to the meeting. My hands were clean and usable and by the end of the meeting the bag balm had worked off most of the pruning paint. Now only the edges of my fingernails are black and all stickiness is gone.

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The quilt meeting was a blast. Four other ladies showed up. Three had sewing machines, one brought all her cutting gear, and I manned the iron. We managed to put together a super cute and super scrappy lap-sized quilt top. One of the ladies took a picture and said she would e-mail it to me. When I get it, I'll post a copy here. The quilt top turned out very well and I felt so happy that I could contribute. Plus it was fun to just get together with a bunch of ladies and just listen to them talk. I grew up with a bunch of ladies around me...mom, aunts, grandma, sisters. I miss just being with a bunch of ladies. It was very, very nice. My heart is satisfied, which is a great feeling. :)

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The final good thing that happened was when I came home Miss Q had finally gotten an Algebraic concept that she has struggled with for the past year. Her new Algebra teacher is amazing. She has so many tricks up her sleeve, so many different ways to teach the math concepts to the kids. When Miss Q doesn't understand, her teacher shows her a different way. The trick that finally helped things click for Miss Q...using different colors to separate the different numbers.

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Instead of writing 4y-5x+9z-10+2x-y+2

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Miss Q now writes 4y-5x+9z-10+2x-y+2

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Isn't that great!!! Just a little color-coding and the girl UNDERSTANDS!!! Hooray!!!

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And that is the end of my day. Except...Hubby has promised to rub my neck for five minutes if I have this typed up and the computer off before he finishes his project. And guess what...I'm done and he's not! Hooray. The pregnant lady is going to get her neck rubbed. :)

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I hope you had a great day too! :)

Winter Reading

I love to read. It is one of my favorite things to do. In fact, it is kind of an obsession. As a child, teenager, and young adult, I would become so engrossed in reading that everything else would fall to the wayside. My Mom used to use this obsession against me as a punishment. When I hadn't completed tasks or if I'd done something truly awful, my Mom would take away my books. It was a truly horrific punishment for me! I became emotionally invested in every book I read. The characters came to life in my mind and I had to know what happened to them next. It seems like my Mom would always take away the books right when some character's life was in danger or when they were at some major crossroad in life. I don't know how she did it, but it seems like she always knew the optimum time to use this particular punishment.

As a youth I was a very eclectic reader. Novels, biographies, history, sci-fi, fantasy, and classics. I would read anything. I usually read by author, if I liked the first book they wrote. An example, after reading The Three Musketeers and loving it, I read every other book that Alexandre Dumas had written.

When I entered college, I had to prioritize my reading. No longer could I pursue the novel or biography of my choosing. I had too many other things to read. Friends of mine were confused as to why I couldn't read both. The answer is simple...I am one of the few people on this planet who actually read every single word in every single textbook I was ever assigned, including the optional texts. I read from the title page to the index and bibliography. Even when teachers would say, "We'll only be using chapters 3, 6, 10 and 14", I would still read every single other chapter. I had to. Weird, I know. And very time-consuming!

After college, I was burned out. You would be too after reading all those textbooks! Haha! I've stuck mostly to children's stories, which I read diligently to my children. As they've grown and their reading skills have expanded, I've started branching out again in my reading. (I average about two to five adult books per year. that is a low number compared to what I used to read.) I am thrilled to say that my children love to read as much as I do. We have wonderful conversations about plots and characters. Theorizing the author's thought process and reasoning out where we think the story might lead.

This winter break provided a wonderful opportunity for my family to read. I am still stuck trying to think of a name for my baby boy. I confined my personal reading to baby name books. I also read stories to Joe and Cakes.

Joe's current favorites are the Black Lagoon series written by Mike Thaler, illustrated by Jared Lee. Joe gets the biggest kick out of these stories! He especially likes The Cafeteria Lady from the Black Lagoon. That one makes me a little nauseous to read. ;)

Cakes' current favorite is Curious George. He loves that little monkey.

Miss Q is new to the whole "reading for pleasure" concept. I assigned her a book to get her started. And what better book is there for a young girl to read than Anne of Green Gables. She had a hard time getting into, but after a few chapters I couldn't pry her away from the book. This was one of my favorites as a girl. :)

Rose is a goosey reader. She will often be reading three books at the same time. I could never do that! I always had to finish the one before I started another. Over the winter break she finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and started Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It has been so much fun to talk to her about these books. She was pretty upset about Severus Snape killing Dumbledore. But when Snape cursed off George's ear, Rose was livid! Her funniest reactions have been about Harry and Ron though. She couldn't believe it when Ron abandoned the quest. A few chapters later, she kept muttering to herself that Harry is an idiot. Hahaha! I know exactly where she is in the book just from her reactions and comments.

Anne began The Lightening Thief before school let out. She is currently reading The Battle of the Labyrinth. She has really sailed through the Percy Jackson series. She is loving the Greek Mythology. The name pronunciations are a bit confusing at times, however this has not slowed her down in the slightest. In fact, she and Rose (who already read the series) checked out Greek and Norse Mythology books from our local library...just so they could learn more about the stories! We have all decided that if we were to choose any of the gods to worship, we would choose Thor. My girls stated that Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, and the rest of the Greeks are just to selfish to make good gods. Thor seems like the most caring in the group. Haha! Studying the Greek gods has made both girls very happy to have Heavenly Father as their God. :)

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We are counting down the days until the movie version of The Lightening Thief opens. We are super excited! After seeing the trailers and listening to Rose and Anne talk about the series, Miss Q decided to start reading the series too. That is a big deal!

Just a side note, we saw Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel over the break. We were excited to again see the trailer for Lightening Thief. We were even more excited when a trailer came on for How to Train Your Dragon! We first discovered good old Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third last year. We listened to most of the series via Book on Tape/CD. (this is why we are also interested in the Norse Gods) I would highly recommend these books, especially for young boys. They are hilarious, with just the right amount of adventure, mayhem, and gross. Haha!

The final book worth mentioning is To Kill a Mockingbird. Hubby decided to re-read this book. This is one of my all-time favorite books. I even considered naming Joe and Cakes "Atticus". (I'll tell you in a later post why that particular name was cut from the list.) Hubby first read this book as a class assignment in high school, or, as he puts it, "a long, long, long, long time ago." I was going to wait for him to read it first, then steal it and read it again myself. However, due to work reading assignments, it is taking a long time for Hubby to finish. If I wasn't stuck on names, I would have stolen it by now and read the whole thing already. Haha! Luckily for him, I have to keep re-reading the name book instead. ;)

I'm always on the hunt for a good book. What have you read lately??

i is busy.

I haven't posted for a few weeks. I keep meaning to, but I have been super busy. And when I finally do have a break, I want to read about YOUR life not write about mine. I don't think my break would actually count as a break if all I did was re-hash everything going on in my life. But my little sister wants an update. And I love her. A lot. So I will comply with a list of all the things keeping me busy.

1. I has been Painting.

My living room, dining room, and kitchen are now completely painted.

Next on my list are the kids bedrooms. I've already started the girls' room.

2. I is in a turf war with a pigeon couple.

Several weeks ago, Hubby and I knocked down their nest containing one egg. Good job us. The pigeons kept coming back. We kept shooing them away. This went on for a few weeks until I realized they'd probably laid another egg. Hubby and I knocked the second nest down to discover zero eggs, but two little chicks. Hubby is a baby-killer and I is his accomplice. :(

We figured that would be the end of it. But no, within a week the pigeons built another nest and laid another egg. We knocked that one down too. And the pigeon couple keeps coming back.

3. I is supporting my Hubby.

The whole family went to his work's summer BBQ. I am usually wary of events like this because even though they say "family-friendly" or "family oriented" they are usually referring to things teenagers would like, not little ones, and are often held in confined spaces where the voices of my children are echoed and amplified to the tenth degree.

Well, Hubby's work BBQ was completely family friendly. It was held on a football field. They had an alley of games for the little ones to earn prizes. And they had a giant slip and slide manned by a bunch of firefighters. We will definitely be attending next year.

4. I is being a baseball mom.

I am chauffeuring three children to weekly practices and games. I am helping at the concession stand, cooking up hot dogs and hamburgers, handing out candy and Gatorade and chips. And I am now trying to plan end-of-the-season parties for our teams. Funny thing is, I LOVE IT! And my kids are having a great time. If the kids all want to sign up again next year, I will totally do it.

5. I is getting sunburned.

First I got a funky tan line from sitting at the baseball field each Saturday. I've been wearing jeans rolled up to just below my knee, socks that go above my ankle, tennis shoes, and a high-necked t-shirt. I'm sure you can imagine how funny that must look when I actually don a swimsuit. But this past week, I wore a wider-neck t-shirt and got burned. Funny thing is, my sock line is still in place.

6. I is celebrating Popeye's birthday.

The Babycakes turned two. We celebrated with cupcakes and a visit to Chuck E. Cheese's.

7. I is being creeped out by Hubby.

He is rehearsing his lines and movements for Into the Woods. He plays Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf. The director has given Hubby some creep-tastic moves to perform as the wolf. He keeps trying to practice them on me. He is giving me the heeby-jeebies. I sure feel sorry for Little Red. :(

8. I is sewing costumes!

Into the Woods is feeding my sewing addiction. They have provided me with material, patterns, notions, and free reign to produce three costumes. I was very excited. This is the material for the first costume I made, a Steward. It was almost done, but the man I made it for is extra-wide and whoever took his measurements told me he was 50 inches in his chest & 56 inches in his waist. So I gave the guy a few inches extra when I made the costume. Well, somebody measured wrong and I need to add 8 to 10 inches somewhere. But no worries. I has a plan. ;)

9. I is helping the Hubby get in shape.

Yes, I know this book has a picture of a girl on it. But it's not just for girls. it was recommended to Hubby by a male coworker who is ripped to the extreme. Hubby is trying to follow it diligently. He does not want to be a pot-bellied Prince Charming. So far he has lost ten pounds and his tummy is looking firm and toned. His wife is very pleased. :)

Hubby is also growing his hair out for his role. I am liking that very much too. I have never seen him with hair longer than an inch. And I am loving the new length. It's about four or five inches long in some places now. Hubby looks HOT with his longer hair. I am doing my best to convince him to keep the length, but he has informed me that he is shaving it all off as soon as the play is finished. :(

10. I is tending my orchard and grove.

I purchased three citrus trees within weeks of moving to my new home. A couple months ago I added five fruit trees, two citrus, and four hibiscus. The look of the Nursery Worker's face cracked me up when he saw my mini-van. He told me that the 7 trees and 4 plants wouldn't fit in a mini-van. Good thing I have a Safari. I fit everything in plus myself, two kids, and two bags of mulch. And I could still see out my mirrors. Safari's rock. I hope GM will still make them...

I added another hibiscus a few days later for aesthetic reasons. :) I currently have 5 hibiscus: 1 white, 2 red & 2 hot pink; 5 fruit trees: 1 Anna apple, 1 Dorset apple, 1 plum, 1 apricot & 1 peach; 5 citrus trees: 1 Mexican lime, 1 lemon, 1 ruby red grapefruit, 1 sweet orange & 1 tangerine; plus an Indian Laurel in my front yard along with three giant hedge bushes that produce orange flowers. We also have carrots, strawberries, tomatoes and peppers growing. I love, love, love the outdoors. :)

Oh! When we moved a year ago, we left our lawn mower with a neighbor. So when we arrived here, we got to buy a new mower. Hubby just wanted to get a regular old mower. I insisted we get a self-propelled mower. It turned into a bit of a heated discussion, but I won in the end. The new mower is fabulous and so easy to use. I never mow the lawn. I tried to once, about six years ago as a surprise for Hubby. Yeah. That was stupid. Severe asthma and allergies do not like Bermuda grass. I managed to get the backyard done before collapsing into a wheezing, hacking, sneezing, itchy mess. That's how Hubby found me when he got home. Surprise! It took a round of steroids, albuterol, multiple breathing treatments, a shot in my bum, and a week resting to recover. I vowed to never mow again.

A couple weeks ago, Joe wanted to mow the yard. I helped him get the lawnmower out and started the thing for him. He took off like a rocket. The next week, I tried that mower while Hubby was pulling weeds. It was a snap! And the new mower didn't affect my asthma or allergies at all. Hooray! Except now I am a vow-breaker and a baby-killer accomplice. *sigh*

11. I is registering Joe for Kindergarten!

He is so excited. He can hardly wait to start. The only downside...his first MMR shot was given to him three days before he officially turned one. So it doesn't count according to our State's educational health policy. Meaning Joe had to get an MMR vaccination. Poor little Joe. He cried. A lot. Which is super funny to me because when he was a baby, he never cried while getting shots. Not once in his two years of getting vaccinations. He just always gave the doctor and nurse dirty looks. I guess he's making up for not crying back then. ;)

12. I is being held up in the grocery line.

For a long time. This would not be unusual except that the lady in front of me already had her groceries bagged while my groceries were sitting on the conveyor belt ready and waiting while she and the clerk discussed the Twilight movie! So I got to wait and wait while they gabbed about Twilight. Ugh!

The lady's check finally cleared, but they kept gabbing. Then I coughed, kind of loudly while looking away, trying to be discreet but get the line moving at the same time. Well, I looked in the wrong direction. I looked at the magazines as I coughed and the ladies assumed I was looking at this magazine. *exaserbated sigh*

They then felt the need to include me in their conversation. Yes I have seen the movie and yes I have read the books, but I so did not want to discuss it with them. I just wanted to get my groceries and leave. Fortunately, the first lady's husband finally got sick of waiting and told his wife to get moving. Actually, he said it in Spanish so I'm not sure exactly which words he said, but I understood the tone and whatever he said...it worked!!

13. I is visiting the doctors & dentist.

I think this picture says it all.

14. I is being amazed by Hubby's skills.

Turns out Hubby can sing in his sleep. I just discovered this talent of his last Sunday. His sacrament job is to hold the snoozing Babycakes. Unfortunately, Hubby sometimes falls asleep too. This past Sunday he started falling asleep while singing the rest Hymn. It was hilarious! We were singing "The Spirit of God" and Hubby's voice would fade as his eyes drooped then I would pinch him and he would come back singing full volume for a few seconds then start to fade again. Best part was he always came in with the right words on the right note. My man has skills! Hahaha! And I will never let him live this down.

15. I is screening books.

Rose wanted to read the Lightning Thief series. It was highly recommended by our local bookstore. Since it deals with the Greek gods, I figured I better read it first because those Greek gods were not very moral and got up to all sorts of trouble. We now own all of these books. They were a great read. Very compelling story and I loved how the author wove the Greek gods into the story. Wonderful. Rose just started the fifth book this morning. But I'm not going to let Anne read them yet. She'll need to wait until she's a little bit older.

16. I is supervising cake making.

Rose made this cake all by herself. It was a chocolate double layer with cherry frosting.

I think she did a pretty good job. I especially like the decorating job.

17. I is teaching preschool.

We learned the 70 phonograms using the Spalding education technique. We executed many science experiments including blowing up various objects, making volcanoes & goop, growing salt crystal gardens, watching yeast rise and bread bake, and mixing chemicals to watch the reactions. It was great!

18. I is in a talent show.

Rose, brave girl that she is, decided to be in her school's talent show. She sang "Every Star is Different" and I accompanied her on piano. Rose did a great job. She has a beautiful voice. Her school held three sessions: two during school and one evening performance. I showed up for each one. Another busy thing here was the dress she is wearing. Rose is at that wonderfully awkward stage where she is too big for the little girl section but too little for the women's section. And since she is not a stick-child, Miss clothing is definitely not an option. We found this beautiful dress thanks to a JC Penny saleswoman who actually knew her inventory. Knew what clothes she had, where they were located and what the best options would be for my daughter's body. Thanks to her we were out of the store in under an hour and the Rose-girl looked beautiful for her talent show.

I wish Hubby would have told me I would be in the shot. I would have sat up straight and sucked in my gut.

19. I is encouraging male bonding.

Hubby took the boys on a Father & Sons outing. They had a blast.

20. I is watching the harvest.

The boys and I have faithfully watched cantelopes grow in a field near our home. We were excited to see the harvest. A medium-sized John Deere tractor pulled this huge trailer and attachment while workers walked behind it picking the melons and tossing them up. I love agriculture.

21. I is dealing with my Ugly Daughter.

That's right I said ugly.

This girl pleaded with me to let her grow out her bangs. I agreed on the condition that she keep her hair out of her eyes. Psh. She completely diregards that condition everyday. Her hair hangs in her face. She refuses to put it in ponytails or headbands. If I try, she cries and says she looks ugly. For example, this picture taken this past Sunday. I put my foot down and and got her hair up and out of her face. As soon as she lookd at herself in the mirror she dissolved into tears, crying over and over that she looked so ugly. Excuse me? I can finally see her face. I think she looks great. She immediately tried to pull it out, but I threatened her with no dessert and a hundred sit-ups, so she left it in. This picture was taken after church. That's why she's smiling. She knows she getting ice cream soon.

22. I is watching movies with my Hubby.

We saw Star Trek in the theater. It was phenomenal. So great. A great cast. A great stroy. Good flow. Good sound effects. Such a satisfying movie to watch. They better be making a sequel or five.

Hubby also convinced me (I don't remember how or why I agreed) to watch some movies he has been wanting to rent. Um. That was not a good idea. He picked some pretty intense shows. First we watched Benjamin Button. That was alright but not my type of show. Then we watched Quantum of Solace. That gave me a headache and freaked me out a bit. And lastly, we watched Taken. That was intense and creepy-sick. Ugh! He wants to rent a few others, but he will have to watch those on his own.

23. I is watching the sun set.

Driving back and forth from ball games has a few perks.

Watching the sun set over fields filled with wheat and alfalfa is a beautiful thing.

24. I is eagerly watching the Airbender fan sites!

There are pictures available now. Hooray! I was so excited when I first saw these. The first picture is Prince Zuko played by Dev Patel. His scar isn't as apparent as I thought it would be, but other than that I think he looks fantastic. I love the facial expression. The scowl is a Zuko trademark and Dev has it nailed. The second picture is Aang played by Noah Ringer. There have been no pictures of Noah available since his name was released. At one point someone tracked down a baby picture, but other than that, no one had any idea what he looked like. And now that we do all I can say is WOW! M. Night nailed the casting. Well, the re-casting. (Thank goodness Dev is in and Jesse McCartney is out. That was just a little weird.) Noah is the perfect picture of Aang. I am so excited to see this movie. The trailer is available in only 20 more days. Hooray!

25. I is visiting teaching.

Umm. Yeah. I totally didn't do my visiting teaching this month. I was so busy with other things that my brain got confused. I thought about calling my ladies a few times then "remembered" that I had already gone visting teaching for May. Well, no. No I didn't. I went in April and then my brain fell out. I am going to need to bake some seriously delicious goodies to make up for my lack of visiting. Sorry ladies! I'll do better next month. I promise. Oh wait. I mean this month. This month. Yeah. I'll do better.

Crazy Times!

I've had so much going on the past few weeks. Here's a quick rundown:

*Dash the Dog got his boy stuff removed by the Vet. He had stitches and a cone head and wasn't allowed outside without supervision. Let's just say, he went potty (#1 & #2) in my house multiple times. Thank goodness for my wet vac.

*My five-year old son vomited during Sacrament. I, fortunately, was walking the halls with the BabyCakes, so the boy didn't vomit on me. He got his dad and the floor under the pew instead. Again, thank goodness for my wet vac.

*The Hubby got strep throat. Then he gave it to me. Mine was a worse case. Thank goodness for the nice doctor who gave me antibiotics in pink liquid form. That was much easier to swallow.

*My three big kids started Little League Baseball. And the three coaches all decided to schedule their first practice at the same time...in different parts of the city. Yikes! Thank goodness Hubby got off work early. We divided and conquered.

*I've been designated as "Team Mom" for Annie's team. Thank goodness I had mad secretary skills, so all the forms, phone calls, and fund raiser stuff will be easy-peasy.

*Hubby auditioned for and was cast in a local production of "Into the Woods". He is playing Cinderella's Prince (who basically kisses every girl he can find) and the Wolf (who eats the two ladies the Prince doesn't kiss). I plan on sitting in the front row and catcalling every time his character comes onto stage. It will be tons on fun. If you want to join me, the play will run at the end of June. Meanwhile, he has practices twice a week until then. Thank goodness that I was the one wanting him to do this. Otherwise I might get a little resentful of all his time away. But as it is, I'm thrilled! I always wanted to see him in this play. AND in this role! Hooray for me and wish fulfillment! ;)

*Annie, age 7, had her orthodontic appliance removed. She is so excited. Now she can eat almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, popcorn, pizza crust, hard candy, sticky candy, gum, carrot sticks, celery sticks, french bread, apples (without having to slice it first), and many other hard and sticky items. Thank goodness she can eat trail mix again.

*I finished an online class through Mesa Community College. It was a Personal and Family Finance class. Thank goodness because that class was boring! Mainly because I figured out finances many years ago so the entire textbook was just a review. But I'm now one step closer to getting my FACS teaching certificate.

*Dash the Dog had his stitches removed yesterday from aforementioned surgery. As soon as we got home he proceeded to vomit. And vomit. And vomit some more. It was just little bits at a time, but still. Eeew! Thank goodness for my wet vac!

*At one of the baseball practices, one that I had driven to myself with all my kids in tow, I got hit in my left forearm with a baseball. It hurt. Bad. I left the field to get a drink. One second I was standing by the water cooler, next second I was laying down fifteen feet away. Huh. And as I turned over there were lots of people staring at me. Turns out I fainted and was out for about a minute. Another parent called 911 and I was soon surrounded by paramedics. Wow. They were fast. They were also not impressed that I couldn't remember how I got from point A to point B. But I did remember my address, name, telephone number, and even the date. Thank goodness I could deny their insistence to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Phew! Cause I'm not sure how much of that "ride" my insurance would have covered. I called Hubby to come get me instead.

*I still felt woozy for the next day. My doctor ordered some lab work. I had to give six large vials of blood. Thank goodness the phlebotomist was a master needle sticker. I barely felt it. And by the way, after she removed all the blood, I felt great. Really, really great! For the whole rest of the day! Huh. It seems that all I needed was a some good old-fashioned blood letting. Maybe I should invest in medical leeches. You know. Just in case I feel faint in the future. ;)