She's Crafty...

Magnets, pins and hair clips by BETH.

This photo isn't very good because Penn was playing photog earlier in the day and got the lens all dirty.

So I went to Homemaking/Enrichment/whatever you call it last week (for the first time in a very,very, very long time. I actually talked to people too, amazing.) and learned how to make these little flower-things that you can make into hair clips, pins, etc. Don't look too closely because you will notice that they are not perfect. I got all excited with what I learned and invited Lysa over last Friday night and we had a fun time being crafty. She is not used to being crafty with me because I am not a very crafty person. I usually watch and offer lemonade. So I got it in my head that I would make some flower magnets for the kids' teachers as end-of-year gifts. Sophia and I went to Hobby Lobby (my 1st time) on Saturday and picked out some fabrics and buttons. Did I mention that the last day of school was on Tuesday and that I would be out of town from early Sunday morning through late Tuesday night? No big deal. So guess who was up at 1:30 Sunday morning sewing little flower magnets? Psycho, I know. The teachers probably would have preferred like a Starbucks gift card or something but I HAD to do it. So what that I got 3 hours of sleep-the teachers I'm sure were infinitely impressed by my homemade gifts-right?

Nanny McPhee

Have you ever seen Nanny McPhee? You should. I totally love it. Penn and Quinton have been sick for a cumulative of 6 days so I have been through many kids TV shows and movies. There are some really good ones out there. So tonight while watching Nanny McPhee I was thinking of how it compares to the Mary Poppins story. I hadn't really thought of Mary Poppins until about a month ago when I went to the play/musical with Sophia. It was her first theater experience and it was a lot of fun. I couldn't really remember the movie and she had never seen it so we DVR'd it when it came on the next weekend. Here are my thoughts...I liked the play better. It was little deeper emotionally. (Also, next time you watch the movie check out the stage make-up--skin colors are a little strange). Anyway, when compared to Nanny McPhee I definitely like Nanny McPhee better. Mary Poppins is easy to like-she is beautiful, witty, does fun things and has a great goofy friend in Burt. Nanny McPhee is grotesque when you first meet her. She is anti-charming. Both nannies help the family change for the better and leave when they are no longer needed. The Banks children seem a little mischievous but not nearly as naughty as the Brown brood who are acting out due to a distracted/inattentive father (same) and reacting to the death of their mother (different). Both movies have kite-flying scenes--coincidence? In the end Nanny McPhee reveals her true beauty. I love Emma Thompson.

Some other kids movies I totally love?

Meet the Robinson's. I didn't love it the first time I saw it but totally almost cry at the end every time now. Plus the music rocks and there are little Disneyland references.

Holes. You must see it. I probably need to read the book. I think the story is so clever!

Princess and the Frog. I love that Charlotte is not mean.

Some kids movies I totally do not love? All Shreks. Can't stand them. No offense if you are a Shrek family. We are not. I just find it gimmicky.

That's it. Time for bed...

Gag Me With a Spoon!

So I am really not obsessed with Kate Gosselin, she just really really bugs me to the point that I cannot contain myself. A little history. My kids and I would occasionally watch Jon & Kate + 8 when Brady was out playing hoops. Her anal retentive tendencies were totally annoying then (no bare feet on the hotel room floor-no matter that we probably got this hotel room for free). Jon played the hen-pecked husband well. Then they moved to the huge new house and had guest stars appearing on their show and I thought to myself, "they are getting a little too big for their britches". Then they split up. Fine. Jon is a jerk. Kate complained that the TLC show was the only way to support her family and I think that is a bunch of BS. But at least with that show she was home with her kids (the reason she is doing all of this right?). Since the break up it seems she is always off doing one project or another, getting hair extensions, appearing in People magazine, telling an interviewer that she thinks her future is as a movie star, etc. Now I hear she has a another reality show with TLC in the works. That is it. I am done with TLC. I'm sick of people exploiting their own families for profit (go exploit someone else's family!). I'm sick of seeing Kate on the Today show daily. Really, what is she talking about? Who is with the eight kids? I don't know because I refuse to watch it. Gag is a word that comes to mind. I haven't watched Dancing with the Stars but I'm sure it would throw me over the edge. Maybe I am already there.

What did you do today?

Here is my day in all of its glory. I constantly feel like I can't get anything done. I usually use work as an excuse but I hardly did any work today and still have nothing to show for the day.

Wake up and put the laundry in the dryer and a new load in (it never ends).
Husband realizes and reminds me that son needs to bring research articles to school today (we had all weekend to do this but forgot!).
Help son find and print info on the planet Saturn for 3rd grade project.
Get email from boss requesting some info. Replied that I will work on it after I get the kids to school.
Help kids get ready for school--breakfast, clothes, snacks, water bottles, luckily they both wanted to buy lunch today. I realize that they should make their own lunches, snacks, etc. but babysteps.
Get dressed and teeth brushed 5 minutes before going to the bus stop. Wake up 2-year old to go to the bus stop.
Get older kids on the bus and go home.
Get 2-year old settled watching Sesame Street.
Research info for boss and email it to him.
More laundry--new load, putting away, etc.
Get on the computer and to check personal email, FB and blogs.
Decide that I need to be a super couponer (even though I don't know how). Spend too much time looking for and printing out coupons (I did save $8 at the grocery store tonight).
Got info and filled out application for son to do a camp at the Littleton Historical Museum this summer.
Made list of stuff I need to do--didn't get any of it done.
Decided I really hate my laundry room right now. It is a disaster!
Took call from someone at work and did a little work.
Made the bed, put away more laundry.
Put makeup on and fixed hair.
Went to lunch with sisters-the hightlight of my day. On the way I see two Moms out for a run (I think they are in my ward) with their jogging strollers and I feel lame because I never do that and I don't really have a friend to do it with. I don't even have a jogging stroller.
Get another call from work requesting something. I will probably work on it tonight.
Took 2-year old to the park. Realized that I don't fit in with most of the park moms. I don't wear a baseball or castro-style cap or have designer jeans or any Ed Hardy (or whatever it is) gear on. Also realized that I want a different style of sunglasses.
Got 2-year old down for a nap which entailed a "tough love" snuggle and watching Cars.
Checked email, FB and Blogger again.
Downloaded recent photos. Thought about posting photos to FB and then thought, "does anyone really care about these? Am I annoying for posting so many pictures? Am I just doing this for myself?" So I didn't post any photos.
Paid some bills online.
More laundry.
2-year old wakes up so I snuggle him on the couch for a little bit.
Start watching Oprah (Lisa Ling interviews child molesters) for 15 minutes until big kids get home (DVR the rest).
Get kids going on homework.
I work on the dishes, make kids clean up, yell alot.
Husband gets home from work--what do I have to show for my day? Not much!
We all finish straightening up the house-more yelling, decide to go out for dinner since we have to go to the library (Saturn project) anyway.
Dinner at Scholtzky's (Penn throws up), go to the library, check out muchos libros.
Get VM from babysitter (manny) who has been out of town for two weeks. The message is that he will be back on Thursday-yeah! and that he is working with his brother this summer (ugh, what will I do?).
Get home and we all decompress which entails the kids watching Phineas and Ferb while I try to think of who can help me out with the kids this summer (stress).
Watch a recorded episode of Life with the whole family. The Bower birds were the best!
Get Husband and kids in bed (our queen sized bed for snuggles).
Go running at the rec center for 25 minutes (until it closes). Man, I am out of shape!
Come home. Big kids still awake and snuggling, husband fast asleep.
Get kids in their beds.
Go grocery shopping (with all my coupons!). Plan healthy meals my kids will like in my head-what will reality be?
Come home and think about posting to my blog and then doing a little work.
Watch Intervention while posting and contemplating work.
The End

My Special Kids

So, I probably do not blog (brag) enough about my kids. They really are quite amazing to me! Here is a poem Quinton did at school. I have to hide on the side of the fridge because if he saw it on display he would rip it up. He's just that way.

Here is a drawing Sophia did for her friend Elana. I had to hurry and scan it before she gave it away. As you can probably tell it is the Cheshire Cat. What I love are the peace sign eyes. She likes peace signs and I think that is so cute! She is very observant and vivacious.

What can I say about Penn? He entertains and amazes us daily! He is the proof to me that children come with their own personalities. I think he came with extra!

Here is a picture of me in my new glasses.

A few more Quinton items before he finds them and destroys them. I love the candid baseball picture since we can't get him to smile for posed photos. I'm glad the photographer got this shot!

Not that there's anything wrong with that

Signs that I am well on my way to becoming an old woman....

I get chilled and need to wear sweaters and jackets like never before.

The heated seat in my car is my friend.

I was telling a story the other night and saw a look in the listener's eye that I recognized. It was that look of "I have already heard this story but I am going to indulge her".

I am developing strong opinions about things that are really not that controversial (i.e. when a product says reduced sugar but they replace the sugar with artificial sweetener. Why can't they just reduce the sugar?!). See what I mean?

I am starting to hold grudges.

I check the fiber content of food I eat.

I feel the need to butt into conversations when I hear inaccurate information.

I'm sure there are more but I can't remember.

The pictures above are a couple of ladies who I love very much and skinny dip with on occasion. Here is to growing older with style!

A Little ELO?

So last night I was at the grocery store when I heard a song that took me back (way back) down memory lane. The song? All Around the World by ELO--you know Electric Light Orchestra. You don't remember it? Well it goes something like this, "Everybody all around the world I have a message have you heard the word? There's gonna be a party all over the world". When I was about 8 or so my friend Cheralyn (I don't even remember how to spell her name) and I would roller skate or simply run around in circles in her unfinished basement to the Xanadu record (and when I say record I mean the actual record with the blue label with a rainbow on it). It was awesome!

I loved roller skating. I had blue skates with red and white accents while Lysa had white skates with red and blue accents. I always wanted the white ones but the blue worked just fine. Remember when you first learned to skate down your driveway? Remember the really steep driveways on the block that were always there taunting you to try them? I remember when I got some hand me down skates that looked likes sneakers with wheels on them. Blue and gold if I remember correctly. Those were cool too. Ooooh and I had a very cool shiny roller skating jacket. Did it have an applique skate on it? I think so. Or did I just want one and now my mind has tricked me into thinking I had it? Remember when we skated to and from Burger King (did our moms know what we were doing?!) and I pulled Lysa by the balloon string wrapped around her wrist and nearly severed her hand? Sorry Lysa!

So what are some good roller skating songs you may ask? Here is my list:

Xanadu--duh

Centerfold--I didn't know what it meant

Freeze Frame

Whip It

Let's Get Physical

Another One Bites the Dust

Eye of the Tiger

Stayin' Alive

Disco roller skating at Classic Skate in Orem during my BYU days was fun as well. I lived for those Saturday nights. If you were my sister or roommate I'm sure I pressured you into going with me on more than one occasion. Where else could you wear short shorts and shiny jackets with tube socks, I mean come on!

So....even though I am pretty antisocial I think I will try to get a group of ladies (hey ladies!) together to go roller skating some night. If there are enough of us we won't be as scared of the teenaged hoodlums who probably hang out at the Skate City these days. Who's in? I promise not to wear short shorts!